Entrust Q10075 Low Power Transmitter SP75 Card Printer with 13.56 User Manual SP Series Install e guide

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Document Type	User Manual
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Date Submitted	2005-03-21 00:00:00
Date Available	2005-03-21 00:00:00
Creation Date	2005-03-09 11:03:04
Producing Software	Acrobat Distiller 6.0 (Windows)
Document Lastmod	2005-03-10 11:02:26
Document Title	SP Series Install e-guide
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Document Author:	(c) 2005 DataCard Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

INSTALLATION GUIDE
Installation 1
Before you install 3
Installation audience 3
Site requirements 3
Site guidelines 3
PC and software requirements 4
ID system installation sequence 4
Installation choices 5
Unpacking and connecting the printer 7
Unpacking the printer 7
Powering on an SP35 or SP55 printer 7
Powering on an SP75 printer 7
Data cables 8
Is the printer ready for driver installation? 9
Installing the driver 11
Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows XP or 2000 11
Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows Me or 98 13
Install the Smart Driver™ on Windows NT 14
Printing sample cards 15
Setting printer permissions 17
Changing the type of printer connected 21
Network installation 23
About network printing 23
Prepare the printer for installation 25
Connect the printer to the network 26
Printer and Smart Driver setup 30
SNMP Support 30
Updating the driver 33
Updating the printer driver for Windows XP or 2000 33
Updating the printer driver for Windows Me, 98 SE, or NT 34
34
Reinstalling the driver 35
Removing the existing printer driver 35
Running the Cleanup utility 36
Installing the printer and driver again 36
Troubleshooting Installation Problems 37
Troubleshooting any installation 37
Local (USB) installation troubleshooting 37
Troubleshooting a network installation with a print server 38
Troubleshooting an SP Series card printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature 39
Removing a device from the Device Manager 40
Connecting more than one printer or more than one PC 43
Installing more than one printer using a USB connection 43
Using more than one printer on a PC 44
Printer pooling 45
Use a printer pool 46
Printer sharing 49
PC port settings 55
Set up a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port on all operating systems 55
Serial port settings 56
On the CD-ROM 61
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Installation
The printer is easy to install and use. It is also flexible; you can connect and use it in many different ways. Most
often, one printer is connected to one PC. However, two or more PCs can connect to and use one printer, or more
than one printer can be attached to a PC.
The information in this section has two purposes:
•
If you are not familiar with installing a printer on a PC, this section provides detailed steps and information to
help you.
•
If you want to understand the connection choices available to you, or if you want use another connection
method, this section explains what the choices are and how to implement them.
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Before you install
This section includes:
•
"Installation audience"
•
"Site requirements"
•
"Site guidelines"
•
"PC and software requirements"
•
"ID system installation sequence"
•
"Installation choices"
Installation audience
To perform the procedures in the installation section of this guide, you need the following skills:
•
Ability to read and understand written and graphical instructions
•
Experience and comfort installing hardware (such as a printer, scanner, expansion card, etc.) on a personal
computer (PC) or on a network
•
Experience with configuring applications and ports
•
Experience installing and using Microsoft® Windows® XP, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 98, or
Windows NT. For Windows XP, 2000, and NT, the installer must have administrator access to the PC.
•
Ability to perform simple troubleshooting using written and graphical instructions
If you do not feel comfortable with installing the printer, find a network support or other technical professional to
install the printer. Datacard®-authorized service personnel also install printers.
Site requirements
The SP35 Printer Guide, SP55 Printer Guide, or SP75 Printer Guide describes site requirements for each printer.
Site guidelines
When choosing a site for the printer and its supplies, consider these guidelines:
•
Keep all dust, dirt, food, liquids, etc. away from the printer at all times.
•
Do not use supplies or cards that have been dropped on the floor or have otherwise become contaminated.
•
Keep paper and foreign materials off the printer.
•
Place the printer on a stable platform; keep it off the floor.
•
Place the printer away from direct sunlight.
•
Place the printer away from heating ducts, blowers, or other air vents.
•
Do not use the printer for purposes other than its intended use.
•
When cleaning around the printer, prevent debris from entering the printer.
•
Place the printer in a clean office environment, protected from any type of construction.
•
Store all supplies (ribbons, cards, etc.) in the original packaging until you load them in the printer. Keep the
original packaging closed.
•
Store all supplies in a clean, cool, dry location.
For information about the storage environment for printer supplies, see Supplies and cards.
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PC and software requirements
The printer must be used with a PC running a supported operating system. The PC also runs ID software that
captures and organizes the data to appear on each card. These requirements do not apply to SP55 printers with
the Open Card option. See the SP Series Network Printer Guide for information about requirements for the Open
Card option.
To support the printing speed that the printer can deliver, the PC must meet the following requirements:
•
Have a Pentium MMX-, Pentium II-, Pentium III-, or Pentium IV-compatible processor. Datacard® recommends
a 500 MHz (or faster) processor.
•
Have at least 128 MB of memory (RAM). Datacard® recommends 256 MB or more of memory.
•
Have 80 MB or more of hard disk space available to store the printer driver and provide working space for
preparing card data. (Additional components might require more space.) Datacard® recommends at least 200
MB of hard disk space before installing the printer driver.
The PC, including processor speed, memory, operating system, applications running, and available hard disk
space, can have a dramatic effect on card processing speed. The operating system or applications can require
more or faster resources than the printer driver. Meet the most demanding requirements for the operating
system, application, and drivers running on the PC.
•
Have one or more of the following:
— USB port (all Windows operating systems except Windows NT)
— The PC might have more than one USB port, or USB devices already attached to the PC might provide
USB ports to use.
Datacard® recommends using the Windows XP or 2000 operating systems if you plan to connect more than
one printer to a PC using USB ports or using a USB port and another connection method.
— A network connection to support printer sharing or direct networking. Direct networking is the only type of
connection supported on Windows NT.
•
Have a CD-ROM drive to install the printer driver
•
Have one of the following supported and recommended operating systems:
— Windows XP with service pack 2
— Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
Or one of the following supported operating systems:
— Windows 2000 with service pack 3 or 4
— Windows 98 Second Edition
— Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 6
If your operating system is the Windows Server 2003, use information for the Windows 2000 and XP operating
systems.
The PC must also have ID software that formats and prepares the card data. For the PC requirements of your ID
software, see the application's documentation.
The Smart Driver™ cannot be used on a PC that also has an Express Class 1.x, Select Class 2.x or 3.x, Magna
Class 2.x, or ImageCard IV 2.x printer driver installed on it. Delete the other printer driver, following the instructions
that came with the driver, before installing the Smart Driver™.
ID system installation sequence
You might use this printer as part of an identification system (with a camera) or you might use it with existing data
and applications. When you set up this printer along with other system components, install the printer driver after
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setting up the PC and before installing the ID software and capture software and devices. Verify the success of
each installation step before continuing.
Installation choices
Most users install one printer on a PC, using the CD-ROM shipped with the printer for installation. If you will install
the printer in this way, see "Unpacking and connecting the printer".
After unpacking and powering on the printer, install the Smart Driver™ by following one of the following procedures:
•
"Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows XP or 2000"
•
"Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows Me or 98"
•
"Install the Smart Driver™ on Windows NT".
More choices are available to meet the needs of a variety of users. Choices include:
•
Installing a printer on a PC locally, using a USB cable.
•
Installing a printer on a network, either using the Built-in Ethernet feature or using a print server, and then
installing the driver on a PC on the network. (The driver is not required to send cards when the printer has the
Open Card feature.) This method is called direct networking. See "Network installation" for information on
installing and using a directly networked printer.
•
Installing two printers to one PC using USB ports.
USB allows devices to be connected to the PC through another USB device. USB also uses hubs to which
multiple USB devices (including other hubs) can be connected (cascaded). Up to five hubs can be used
between the printer and the PC. Every other hub must be powered. Datacard® printers do not contain a hub to
support connecting other devices. If you need to connect two Datacard® printers to a PC with one USB port,
obtain a USB hub to which both printers can be connected.
See "Connecting more than one printer or more than one PC" for information about installing a printer using a
USB port.
•
Installing the printer using files downloaded from www.datacard.com. The printer driver for Datacard® SP
Series printers is available from Datacard® web site at www.datacard.com. When downloading a driver, be sure
to choose the Smart Driver™ for the SP Series printer and the correct operating system for the PC on which the
driver will run. The driver to download does not include some of the files that are available on the CD-ROM,
including the following. All of these can be downloaded from www.datacard.com:
— This SP Series Info Central
— Installation files for the Printer Diagnostic Utility, and the Cleanup Utility
— Driver installation files for other PC operating systems
•
Updating the printer driver. See "Updating the driver" for the steps to follow.
•
Installing a printer on a client PC when the printer is connected to a host PC and both PCs are connected to a
network (using Windows printer sharing). See "Printer sharing" for setup and operating information for both the
host PC and the client PC.
•
Installing printers using a combination of connection methods. For example, one or more printers can be
directly connected to the PC and others can be connected through a network (using Windows printer sharing or
direct networking). See "Network installation" for information on installing and using a networked printer.
•
Using more than one printer installed to a PC as a printer pool, when the PC is running Windows XP or 2000.
The operating system manages sending jobs to the printers so the next available printer receives the card. See
"Printer pooling" for information on setting up and using printer pooling.
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Unpacking and connecting the printer
This section includes:
•
"Unpacking the printer"
•
"Powering on an SP35 or SP55 printer"
•
"Powering on an SP75 printer"
•
"Data cables"
•
"Is the printer ready for driver installation?"
Unpacking the printer
The printer is compact and easy to unpack.
Open the shipping carton.
Remove the installation map. The top side shows the accessories shipped with the printer. If the printer
includes optional items, the options are checked on the installation map.
The cables, Printer Guide, and other supplies are contained in the accessories tray. For SP35, lift out the
accessories tray.
The printer is located between two shipping supports. Lift off the top shipping support and put it aside.
Lift out the printer and place it on a work surface.
For SP55 printers, remove the tape at the back of the printer that holds the duplex door closed.
For SP75 printers and SP55 printers with the Built-in Ethernet feature, attach the guide holder to the side of the
printer and insert the SP Series Network Printer Guide.
After unpacking the printer, put the shipping carton, shipping supports, and accessories tray aside in case you
need to ship the printer in the future.
If any items are missing, contact your dealer or reseller to inform them.
Powering on an SP35 or SP55 printer
For best results, load supplies before powering on the printer.
Plug the power supply cord into the printer (1). The power receptacle is located on the side of the printer.
Plug the power cord into the power supply (2).
Plug the other end of the power cord into a single-phase, 3-wire grounded receptacle with 90-130V AC or 195254V AC at 50 or 60 Hz (3).
The printer power supply automatically adjusts to the voltage of the input power.
Powering on an SP75 printer
For best results, load supplies before powering on the printer.
Plug the power cord into the printer (1).
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Plug the other end of the power cord into a single-phase, 3-wire grounded receptacle with 90-130V AC or 195254V AC at 50 or 60 Hz (2).
Press | to power on the printer (3).
The printer automatically adjusts to the voltage of the input power.
Data cables
All SP Series printers have a USB data port, and some also have an Ethernet data port. Use only one data cable
for the printer. See "Network installation" if you plan to use the Ethernet data port. Follow the steps in this section to
use the USB data port.
If the printer is connected over a network using a print server, see "Network installation" for information about
connecting the printer.
Tips for success
•
A printer with a smart card module has one or two additional ports. Do not connect smart card ports at this time!
•
Do not connect a USB cable when using the Windows NT operating system. The printer supports only a
network connection to Windows NT. See "Network installation" for information about connecting the printer
using the Ethernet port.
•
The USB cable must be a type CM 30V cable, up to a maximum of 6.5 feet or 2 meters long. A longer cable
might result in electrical interference.
Connecting the printer using a USB cable
Attach the flat end of the USB cable to the USB data port on the PC (or to a device attached to the PC through
a USB port).
— If you are installing the printer for the first time, wait to connect the other end of the data cable. You will be
instructed to connect it during driver installation.
If you are connecting a printer that has been installed previously, you can plug in the other end of the USB
cable now.
— After the printer is powered on and ready, attach the other end of the USB cable to the printer. Do not use
the smart card USB port (if present).The smart card USB port is closer to the power receptacle.
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Is the printer ready for driver installation?
Before installing the printer driver, do the following:
•
Load cards in the input hopper. See the SP35 Printer Guide, SP55 Printer Guide, Network Printer Guide, SP75
Printer Guide, or the Installation Map.
•
Install the print ribbon and continuous cleaning sleeve. See the SP35 Printer Guide, SP55 Printer Guide,
Network Printer Guide, SP75 Printer Guide, or the Installation Map.
•
Install the laminator supply material (SP75 only). See the SP75 Printer Guide.
•
Power on the printer. See "Powering on an SP35 or SP55 printer" or "Powering on an SP75 printer". The printer
should display a series of colors on the status light when it powers on. The printer status light becomes steady
green when the printer is ready.
•
Power on the PC or host computer. Make sure it is fully operational before connecting the printer.
•
For a directly networked printer, make sure that the printer is ready before continuing. See "Network
installation" for more information.
•
For a shared printer, make sure that the printer is ready before installing the driver on the attached (host) PC.
See "Printer sharing" for more information. You must install the driver on the host PC before installing the driver
on any other PCs.
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Installing the driver
This section includes:
•
"Installation choices"
•
"Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows XP or 2000"
•
"Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows Me or 98"
•
"Install the Smart Driver™ on Windows NT"
The printer is shipped with a CD-ROM that contains the printer drivers for the supported Windows operating
systems. The supported operating systems are:
•
Windows XP with service pack 2 (recommended)
•
Windows Millennium Edition (Me) (recommended)
•
Windows 2000, with service pack 3 or 4
•
Windows 98 Second Edition (SE)
•
Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 6 (direct network connection only)
See "PC and software requirements" for details on operating system support and limitations.
If you use an SP55 printer with the Built-in Ethernet and Open Card option, you might need to install the Smart
Driver™ to set up the printer before you use it to produce cards. With the Built-in Ethernet and Open Card option,
you do not use the driver to send card data.
Installation choices
•
You can directly connect the printer to a network. Depending on the options in the printer, you can use the Builtin Ethernet port or a print server. See "Network installation" for more information.
•
If the PC does not have a CD-ROM drive, request diskettes from your service provider. (Service providers can
obtain the driver as diskette images from the partner page.) You also can download the printer driver from
www.datacard.com.
•
If you have installed the printer driver and want to update to the most recent driver, follow the steps in "Updating
the driver".
•
Several other connection methods are available, including printer sharing over a network and installing multiple
printers to a PC using the USB port. See "Connecting more than one printer or more than one PC" for
information on these installation alternatives.
•
See "Printer pooling" for information on printer pooling on the Windows XP and 2000 operating systems.
•
If the printer includes a smart card module, do not connect it at this time. See Smart Card Setup for details.
Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows XP or 2000
For Windows XP or 2000, make sure you are logged in as the Administrator when you install the printer driver.
Close all applications. Do not close Windows.
Make sure the printer is powered on.
With Windows running, insert the CD-ROM in the PC's drive.
The Smart Driver™ window opens.
Click “Install the Printer.” The installation program starts.
— If the PC has an older version of Smart Driver™ installed, the installation program displays a message
telling you to update the printer driver. See "Updating the driver" for the steps to follow.
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If you are using files downloaded from the Web, extract the files to the PC’s hard drive. The installation program
will start automatically when the files have been extracted.The first page provides a choice:
— If the Smart Driver™ is installed on the PC, “Update the existing driver” is the default. See "Updating the
driver" for the steps to follow.
— If the installation program does not detect an existing Smart Driver™, “Install the Printer” is the default. Click
Next to continue.
Make sure “Local Printer (LPT or USB)” is chosen and then click Next.
A Windows message might appear.
— On Windows XP, the Windows Logo testing message appears. Click Continue Anyway to continue with
installation. Security on the PC might be set to prevent installation without a digital signature. See Windows
help for “Logo signing” to change the security setting.
— On Windows 2000, the Digital Signature Not Found message appears. Click Yes to continue with
installation. Security on the PC might be set to prevent installation without a digital signature. See Windows
help for “digital signature” to change the security setting.
— If installation is cancelled or cannot continue, see "Local (USB) installation troubleshooting" for steps to
follow.
The dialog instructs you to install supplies, power on the printer, wait for one minute, and then connect the
printer and PC. Follow the instructions and then click Next.
— In some cases the installation program will continue before you click Next. If this happens, follow the
instructions on the screen.
— If the PC and printer cannot communicate, the next dialog page prompts you to choose the port to which the
printer is connected. This occurs only when the PC cannot detect the printer. For the printer to work, you
must solve the problem that prevents the PC and printer from communicating before continuing.
10 The printer is installed automatically. The Found New Hardware Wizard starts. (The wizard might take a few
seconds to open.)
— For Windows XP, if you have service pack 2 installed, the first page of the Found New Hardware Wizard
allows you to connect to Windows Update. Choose, “No, not this time” to speed up the installation process.
— In some cases, Windows will install the printer driver without opening the Found New Hardware Wizard. If
this happens, go to step 13.
11 On the Found New Hardware Wizard, make sure “Install the software automatically (recommended)” is chosen
and click Next.
12 A Windows message appears.
— On Windows XP, the Windows Logo testing message appears. Click Continue Anyway to continue with
installation. Security on the PC might be set to prevent installation without a digital signature. See Windows
help for “Logo signing” to change the security setting.
— On Windows 2000, the Digital Signature Not Found message appears. Click Yes to continue with
installation. Security on the PC might be set to prevent installation without a digital signature. See Windows
help for “digital signature” to change the security setting.
13 The installation program copies files to the PC and updates entries to enable the printer. The driver is installed.
— If you installed the driver from CD-ROM, the SP Series Info Central files and desktop icon are installed.
— If you installed the driver from downloaded files, a message appears indicating that the SP Series Info
Central (or e-Guide) is not installed. Click Okay to close the message box. You can locate the download file
for SP Series Info Central and e-Guide in the downloads area of www.datacard.com.
— If the firmware needs to be updated, you will be prompted to follow the instructions on the screen.
14 Click Finish to close the Smart Driver™ installation program. The Printing Preferences window is displayed.
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15 In the Printer Preferences window, change settings as needed to match the supplies installed in the printer.
16 Double-click on the printer Printer Toolbox icon in the lower right corner of the desktop. The Printer Toolbox
appears.
17 Click the Print Sample Card button to verify printer and driver installation.
If you will connect additional Datacard® printers, you can install e-Guides for the Magna Platinum AIT printer, the
Select Platinum AIT printer, and the ImageCard IV printer. The procedure is slightly different for these e-Guides.
See the User Guide for the printer for details.
Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows Me or 98
Close all applications. Do not close Windows.
With Windows running, do one of the following:
— To install using the Smart Driver™ CD-ROM, insert the CD-ROM in the PC's drive. The Smart Driver™
window opens automatically. Do not click the “Install the Printer” button. Instead, follow these steps so
Windows detects the printer.
— To install using downloaded files, download the files from www.datacard.com and then double-click the
downloaded file to extract driver files. Click Cancel on the installation program that appears.
Make sure the printer is powered on and ready.
Connect the printer to the PC using the USB data cable. The operating system detects the printer and displays
the Add New Hardware Wizard. (The wizard might take a minute or more to open.)
Use the Add New Hardware Wizard to start the driver installation process.
— For some Windows Me and 98 PCs, Windows finds USBPrint.inf and installs USB printing support. If this
occurs, follow the prompts. The Add New Hardware Wizard appears again; continue. The Wizard to install
USB printing can also appear as part of the next step.
On the Add New Hardware Wizard, do the following:
— On Windows Me, make sure that “Automatic search for a better driver (Recommended)” is checked and
then click Next on the Wizard.
— On Windows 98, click Next on the Wizard and do the following:
— Make sure that “Search for the best driver for my device (recommended).” is chosen.
— Click Next.
— If you are installing from CD-ROM, make sure that “CD-ROM drive” is the only choice checked and then
click Next. The Wizard searches for the DSPNP.INF file. If it does not find it, go back to the previous
dialog page, and follow the instructions in the next bullet.
— If you are installing from files on the hard drive, click “Specify a location,” remove the default location
displayed (usually A:), and click Browse. Navigate to the location of the DSPNP.INF file (usually
C:\S7_0 or similar folder name), and click OK and Next as prompted.
Click Finish to close the Add New Hardware Wizard. (Click OK on the message box if it appears.)
The Smart Driver™ installation program copies files to the PC and updates entries to enable the printer.
— If you are installing the Smart Driver™ on the Windows 98 operating system, the installation program
displays a message that recommends using a newer Windows operating system. Click OK to continue. (If
you will be using advanced features, including connecting multiple Datacard® printers to one PC, you might
not be satisfied with the performance. Consider upgrading the operating system.)
Click Finish to close the Smart Driver™ installation program and restart Windows. The Smart Driver™
installation program closes when you restart the PC.
— If you installed the driver from CD-ROM, the SP Series Info Central files and desktop icon are installed.
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— If you installed the driver from downloaded files, a message appears indicating that the SP Series Info
Central (or e-Guide) is not installed. Click Okay to close the message box. You can locate the download file
for SP Series Info Central and e-Guide in the downloads area of www.datacard.com.
10 After the PC restarts, the Printer Toolbox is displayed.
— If the firmware needs to be updated, you will be prompted to follow the instructions on the screen.
11 Click the Print Sample Card button to verify printer and driver installation.
Install the Smart Driver™ on Windows NT
For Windows NT, make sure you are logged in as the Administrator when you install the printer driver.
The SP Series printer supports only a network connection when used with Windows NT.
Close all applications. Do not close Windows.
Make sure printer is powered on and ready, and connected to a network. See "Network installation" for more
information.
With Windows running, insert the CD-ROM in the PC's drive. The Smart Driver™ window opens automatically.
Click “Install the Printer.” The Smart Driver™ installation program starts.
You will see a message that recommends using Windows XP or 2000. Click OK to continue.
Click Next on the first Smart Driver™ Setup dialog box.
Select the e-Guide(s) for your printer type. Click Next to copy driver files and to install the e-Guide(s) you
selected.
Use the default name for the printer or enter a name of your choice. Click Next.
Select “Directly Networked.”
10 Select whether this printer should be the default printer.
— The small page size for cards might cause unexpected results with some applications if the card printer is
the default.
11 Click Next to copy the files to the PC and update entries to enable the printer.
12 Click Finish to close the installation. The installation program restarts Windows when you click Finish.
13 After the PC restarts, the Printer Toolbox is displayed.
— If the firmware needs to be updated, you will be prompted to follow the instructions on the screen.
14 Click the Print Sample Card button to verify printer and driver installation.
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Printing sample cards
The printer is shipped with one or more cards that are printed in the factory. You can also print a sample card,
which looks like one of the factory-printed cards, using the Printer Toolbox.
Setup tips
Make sure that:
•
The printer cover is closed and latched.
•
Cards are loaded in the input hopper.
•
The data cable is connected to the USB port of the printer and the corresponding port of the PC.
•
The settings for the USB port (if used) are correct. See "PC port settings" for more information.
•
Supplies are installed in all cartridges and cartridges are loaded correctly. See the SP35 Printer Guide, SP55
Printer Guide, Network Printer Guide, or SP75 Printer Guide for more information.
•
The printer is ready to print. The status light on the printer should be steady green when you send a sample
card. See Status Light for more information.
•
Use the driver sample card, not a card from ID software, to verify that the printer and driver are working
together.
Begin with the printer powered on and connected to the PC, supplies loaded, the printer driver installed, and
Windows running.
Make sure the Printer Toolbox is open.
— After the PC restarts, the Printer Toolbox is displayed.
— The icon for the Printer Toolbox is located in the lower right corner of the Windows desktop. Double-click
the icon to open it.
— If the Printer Toolbox and its icon are not displayed, see the SP75 Printer Guide for steps to follow.
Click the Sample Card button.
— The driver identifies the type of printer and whether it prints color or monochrome images, and then sends
the appropriate sample card to print.
— If the printer is a color printer and is using a monochrome (K) ribbon, printing will be black (or the color of the
print ribbon), not full-color.
Compare the cards you printed with the cards shipped with the printer.
When you have printed the card, you can close the Printer Toolbox or leave it open.
Use the card to evaluate how well the printer is operating:
— If you have just completed installation, use the comparison to complete the Installation Report and mail or
fax the report to Datacard®.
— If you are checking the operation of the printer, see Troubleshooting.
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Setting printer permissions
This section includes:
•
"Setting printer permissions with Windows XP or 2000"
•
"Setting printer permissions with Windows NT"
•
"Changing user permissions in the Registry"
Setting printer permissions with Windows XP or 2000
If the PC to which the printer is attached has other users and runs the Windows XP or 2000 operating system, set
permissions that:
•
Allow users to use all features of the printer and driver, including messages. (Messages inform users when they
need to change the ribbon, load cards, and fix problems.)
•
Prevent any access to the printer by unauthorized users.
From the Windows taskbar select Start, Settings, and then Printer (and Faxes). The Printers (and Faxes)
window appears.
Highlight the Smart Driver™ icon by clicking on it once.
From the menu bar, select File and then Properties. The Properties window for the Smart Driver™ appears.
Select the Security tab.
Review the Names list. If the names for which you want to specify permissions do not appear in the list, add the
names.
Select the Add button to open the Users and Groups dialog box.
b Click on the name and click Add. Repeat for each name to add.
c When done adding names, click OK. The Users and Groups dialog box closes.
In the Names list, select the name for which you want to specify permissions.
From the Permissions list, select the access:
— For a local user of a local printer and for a user of a directly networked printer:
— To enable printing, select Allow for Print, Manage Printers, and Manage Documents.
— For a user who should not print on the Smart Driver™ printer, select Deny for all permissions.
— Single permissions, such as the Print permission, are not supported.
— For a user of a shared printer:
— For a local user of the printer on the PC connected to the printer, select Allow for Print, Manage Printers,
and Manage Documents. The user will be able to see all messages. The user will also be able to
perform other actions, such as deleting the printer driver. (Single permissions, such as Print, are not
supported for local users of the printer driver.)
— For a user who should not print on the printer, select Deny for all permissions.
— For a user connected through a network using Printer Sharing, select Allow only for the Print
permission. (Select Deny for Manage Printers and Manage Documents.)
Select Apply to save the change. Save changes for each name.
Repeat steps 5 through 8 to add other users or groups.
10 Select OK to close the Properties dialog box.
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Setting printer permissions with Windows NT
If the PC to which the printer is attached has other users and runs the Windows NT operating system, set
permissions that:
•
Allow users to use all features of the printer and driver, including messages. (Messages inform users when they
need to change the ribbon, load cards, and fix problems.)
•
Prevent any access to the printer by unauthorized users.
From the Windows taskbar select Start, Settings, and then Printers. The Printers window appears.
Highlight the Smart Driver™ icon by clicking on it once.
From the menu bar, select File and then Properties. The Properties window for the Smart Driver™ appears.
Select the Security tab.
Click the Permissions button to open the Printer Permissions dialog box.
Select the Add button to open the Add Users and Groups dialog box.
Select the Show Users button.
From the Type of Access list, select the access:
— For a local user of a local printer or for a user of a directly networked printer:
— For a user connected to a directly networked printer, select Full Control.
— For a local user of a printer, select Full Control.
— For a user who should not print on the printer, select No Access.
— Other user permissions, such as the Print permission, are not supported.
— For a user of a shared printer:
— For a user of the printer on the PC connected to the printer, select Full Control. The user will be able to
see all messages. The user will also be able to perform other actions, such as deleting the printer driver.
(Other user permissions, such as the Print permission, are not supported for local users of the printer
driver.)
— For a user who should not print on the printer, select No Access.
— For a user connected through a network using Printer Sharing, select Print permission.
Select OK to save the change and close the Add Users and Groups window.
10 Repeat steps 6 through 10 to add other users or groups.
11 Select OK to save the changes and close the Printer Permissions window.
Changing user permissions in the Registry
A user might receive messages whenever they send cards. Follow these setps only if a user receives a message
that identifies this procedure as the solution.
From the Windows taskbar select Run.
Type “regedt32” (do not include the quotation marks and note that there is no “i” in the file name).
In the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Control > Print
> Printers > Smart Driver.
With the Smart Driver key selected, select Security > Permissions from the menu bar.
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In the Registry Key Permissions dialog box, select Replace Permissions on Existing Subkeys. Then select Full
Control from the Type of Access list.
Click OK to save the new permissions and answer Yes to the message that follows.
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Changing the type of printer connected
The Smart Driver™ supports SP35 printers, SP55 printers, SP75 printers, Select printers (Platinum Series or with
Advanced Imaging Technology), Magna printers (Platinum Series or with Advanced Imaging Technology), and
ImageCard IV printers. Each of these groups is considered a printer type.
•
After the printer and PC are communicating, the printer type will change automatically.
•
If another printer is connected to a USB port, the operating system detects the new printer and starts the Add/
Detected New Hardware wizard.
•
On the Windows XP operating system, the operating system might detect the changed printer and display the
Add/Detect New Hardware wizard. Follow the wizard. If the wizard displays a message indicating that it cannot
find the ds.ppd file, browse the Windows\system32 directory on the hard disk to find the file.
This feature is designed for use in limited situations, such as connecting a backup printer when the main printer is
out of service.
Operating tips for changing the type of printer
•
The Properties or Printing Preferences dialog box includes a Printer Type setting. In addition, the Printer
Toolbox displays the type of printer connected.
•
You must set the Printer Type on the Client PC for a shared printer. The driver on a Client PC cannot
communicate directly with the printer and so cannot determine the type of printer connected.
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Network installation
This section includes:
•
"About network printing"
•
"Prepare the printer for installation"
•
"Connect the printer to the network"
— "Use the Ethernet port"
— "Use the USB port and a wired print server"
— "Use the USB port and a wireless print server"
— "Set up the network printer"
— "Set the Data Format"
•
"Printer and Smart Driver setup"
•
"SNMP Support"
About network printing
A networked printer is connected to a network without a PC between the printer and network. Depending on printer
options and your needs, the printer can be connected to a print server and then to the network. A PC can connect
to several networked printers at a time, and several PCs can connect to one printer. All PCs with the Smart
Driver™ installed (except client PCs for shared printers) receive status and message information from the printer.
Several types of directly networked connections are possible:
•
An SP Series Card Printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature can be connected to a network.
•
The printer can be connected to a print server using a USB cable, and the print server can be connected (using
a network cable) to an existing network.
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•
The printer can be connected to a wireless print server, which communicates with a PC using a wireless
connection on the PC (ad hoc or peer-to-peer mode), creating a local wireless network.
•
The printer can be connected to a wireless print server, which communicates to a wireless access point (WAP)
on an existing network (infrastructure mode). The printer location is limited by the range and availability of
WAPs.
To connect a printer to a network, you need the following:
•
An Ethernet network that uses the TCP/IP protocol and can run at 10 megabits per second (also called 10baseT) or a faster network (such as 100 megabits per second) that automatically switches to the printer speed of 10
megabits per second. The print server, if used, is configured using the TCP/IP protocol. The printer or print
server is attached to an available network port for a wired connection or uses a Wireless Access Point (WAP)
for a wireless infrastructure connection. See the documentation for the print server for details about network
requirements.
•
An SP Series Card Printer with the Built-In Ethernet feature.
OR
A print server and an SP Series Card Printer.
Print servers that have been tested are:
— The HP Jetdirect 175x, revision C, print server uses a USB cable to connect to the printer and an RJ45
cable to connect to an available network port. It can be used with the SP Series printer.
— The HP Jetdirect 380x, revision A, print server uses a USB cable to connect to the printer and the 802.11b
wireless (WiFi) protocol to connect to a wireless access point (WAP) on the network. It can be used with the
SP Series printer.
In addition, you need:
•
For a wired connection, an Ethernet cable to connect the printer or print server to the network. You must
provide the cable to connect to your network.
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•
For a wireless connection, a wireless network adapter for the PC.
The wireless network adapter must use the same wireless protocol as the wireless print server (802.11.b.) One
adapter is needed to configure the print server for both ad-hoc and infrastructure modes. If you plan to use adhoc mode, you also need a wireless network adapter for each PC that will use the printer.
•
Network configuration utility
The print servers are shipped with the appropriate CD-ROM that includes the print server software you will
need to set up and administer a print server. Network support personnel use utilities to set up and monitor the
network and devices on the network.
•
Power supply and power cord for the print server
The power supply and cord are shipped with the print server.
•
USB cable to connect the printer and print server
The USB cable is shipped with the print server.
•
PC connected to and communicating with the network.
— From the PC, you will set up the printer on the network and verify that the printer is connected to and
communicating with the network. SP Series printers with the Open Card option were also tested with a PC
running the Knoppix Linux Boot CD-ROM (version 3.3).
— Some types of SP Series printers include an Open Card option. For printers without the Open Card option,
you must send print jobs to the printer using the Smart Driver™. (If a previous version of the printer driver is
currently installed on the PC, update the driver following the steps in "Updating the driver" before following
these steps.)
— If you use the Smart Driver™, the PC to run the printer driver must be an X86 MMX-compatible PC, running
Windows XP or Windows Me (preferred) or Windows 2000, Windows 98SE, or Windows NT. (See "PC and
software requirements" for service pack requirements.) For a wired or wireless infrastructure connection,
the PC must be connected to and working on an Ethernet network.
— More than one PC on the network can print to the printer. All PCs must send cards to a printer in the same
way; either using the Smart Driver™ or using the optional Open Card data format. Datacard® recommends
that one PC be used for administrative tasks, such as running the setup utility and, if needed, Diagnostics.
— When setting up the printer using an operating system with permissions, such as Windows XP, 2000, or NT,
make sure you are logged in as the Administrator. If networking is set up on the PC, log into the network.
— When using the printer from an operating system with permissions, such as Windows XP, 2000, or NT,
users must have the same permissions as for a locally attached printer. (Power users cannot perform all the
tasks required.) See "Setting printer permissions" for information about permissions.
Prepare the printer for installation
Make sure you have done the following to prepare the printer:
Load print ribbon. See Loading print ribbon.
Load cards. See Loading cards.
Power on the printer. See Powering on the printer.
— If the printer was previously installed on a network, it might take a few moments for the printer to initialize.
— If you power on the printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature, the address mode is DHCP (dynamic host
configuration protocol), and the printer is not connected to a network, the IP address will be blank. You can
change the address mode to Static IP, or you can connect it to a DHCP network after power on and wait a
moment while the printer obtains an IP address.
View the status light. When the printer has powered on correctly, the light displays steady green.
Make a printer test card. See “Making a printer test card”.
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Work with network support personnel to understand whether the network uses DHCP or static IP addressing. If
it uses static IP addressing, obtain the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address from network support
personnel. (In a printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature, you can also use the default IP address in the printer.)
DHCP is the printer default.
When you have successfully completed these steps, continue with connecting the printer to a network.
Connect the printer to the network
To connect the printer to the network, use one of the following methods:
•
Connect the printer using the Ethernet port (requires an SP Series Card Printer with the Built-in Ethernet
feature).
•
Connect the printer using the USB port and a wired print server.
•
Connect the printer using the USB port and a wireless print server.
On operating systems with permissions, such as Windows XP, 2000, or NT, make sure you are logged in as the
Administrator during setup. If networking is set up on the PC, log into the network.
Use the Ethernet port
Attach the Ethernet cable to the Ethernet port on the printer and to the port for the network.
Continue with "Set up the network printer".
Use the USB port and a wired print server
Connect the print server to the printer
using a USB cable. The HP Jetdirect
175x has been tested in this usage.
Connect the print server to the
network using an Ethernet cable.
See the setup information provided
with the print server.
Follow the instructions provided with
the print server to set it up on the
network.
— Be sure to record the server
name or IP address, which you
will use when sending print jobs.
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— If the printer is an SP55 Card Printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature, continue with "Set the Data Format".
If you will use the Smart Driver™ to send print jobs to the printer, return to this procedure and continue with
step 4.
On each PC that will send jobs to the printer, beginning with the Admin PC, install the Smart Driver™. See
"Installing the driver" and follow these guidelines:
— Choose to install a directly networked printer.
— Make sure that each printer has a unique name on the PC. One PC can connect to multiple Datacard®
printers on the network.
Configure the port to define the connection between the printer and PC.
After installing the driver, open the printer Properties dialog box.
b In the Properties dialog:
— On Windows XP, 2000, or NT, make sure you are logged in as the Administrator. (Users and Power
Users cannot complete this task successfully.) Select the Ports tab. Click the Configure Port button.
— On Windows Me and 98, select the Details tab. Click the Port Settings button.
Enter the server name or IP address of the print server (from step 3). If your network uses DHCP, use the
print server name (not the IP address, which the network changes).
d Click OK to save the setting. Open the Enter Network Address dialog box again.
e Click the Test button to verify that the PC can communicate with the print server. If the PC does not
communicate with the printer, see "Troubleshooting a network installation with a print server".
With the Properties dialog box open, select the General tab. Click the Print Test Page button to send a
Windows test page to the printer. If the test page prints, the printer has been successfully installed. Continue
with "SNMP Support".
Use the USB port and a wireless print server
Install the wireless network adapter, including the driver files, to a nearby PC. Follow the instructions provided
with the adapter to install it.
Change settings in the utility for the wireless network adapter (if needed) to match the default settings for the
wireless print server. Find the settings in the print server information.
Power on the wireless print server. Do not connect the print server to the printer at this time (this sequence
might be different from the one the print server recommends). The power light on the print server will be on.
Insert the wireless print server CD-ROM in the PC with the wireless network adapter. The HP Jetdirect 380x
has been tested in this usage. Follow the instructions provided with the print server to set it up on the network.
— Network support personnel can provide the network settings to use.
— Record the values you use so you can repeat the setup for other devices and to finish configuring the
connection to the printer.
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— If the printer is an SP55 Card Printer with the Open card option, continue with "Set the Data Format". If you
will use the SmartDriver to send print jobs to the printer, return to this procedure and continue with step 5.
On each PC that will send jobs to the printer, install the Smart Driver™. See "Installing the driver" and follow
these guidelines:
— Choose to install a directly networked printer.
— Make sure that each printer has a unique name on the PC. One PC can connect to multiple Datacard®
printers on the network.
Configure the port to define the connection between the printer and PC.
After installing the driver, open the printer Properties dialog box.
b In the Properties dialog:
— On Windows XP, 2000, or NT, make sure you are logged in as the Administrator. (Users and Power
Users cannot complete this task successfully.) Select the Ports tab. Click the Configure Port button.
— On Windows Me and 98, select the Details tab. Click the Port Settings button.
Enter the server name or IP address of the print server (from step 4). If your network uses DHCP, use the
print server name (not the IP address, which the network changes).
d Click OK to save the setting. Open the Enter Network Address dialog box again.
e Click the Test button to verify that the PC can communicate with the print server. If the PC does not
communicate with the printer, see "Troubleshooting a network installation with a print server".
Using the Smart Driver™ Toolbox, click the Sample Card button. If the sample page prints, the printer has been
successfully installed. Continue with "SNMP Support" on page 45.
Set up the network printer
Set the SP Series Card Printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature for the type of network addressing you plan to use.
First, view the current mode of addressing:
On the LCD panel, press the Enter key to enter the menu system.
— The available choices in the LCD menus depend on the type of printer you have.
Make sure “Status” appears on the second line and press the Enter key.
Press the Up or Down Arrow key to scroll to “Network,” and then press the Enter key.
Press the Up or Down Arrow key if needed to scroll to “Address Mode,” and then press the Enter key.
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The display shows the address mode, which can be DHCP (default) or Static IP.
— If the address mode setting is the one you want to use, use the Network Status submenus to retrieve the IP
address, subnet mask, gateway address, and, if needed, the MAC address values from the printer:
— Press the Enter key to leave the current value.
— Press the Up or Down Arrow key to scroll to a value and press Enter to view the value.
— Exit to the Main Menu and continue with "Set the Data Format".
— If you need to change the address mode, continue with these steps.
Exit from the Network Status menu and from the Status Menu to return to the Main Menu. Press the Up or
Down Arrow key to scroll to “Configuration,” and then press the Enter key.
Press the Up or Down Arrow key to scroll to “DHCP/Static IP” and then press the Enter key.
Press the Up or Down Arrow key to choose the address mode you want and then press the Enter key.
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— If you choose DHCP, the display shows “Apply/Restart” on line 2. If you are not connected to a DHCP
network, the IP address will be blank until you connect the printer to the network. Continue with step 9.
— If you choose Static IP, the second line of the LCD panel shows “IP Address.”
— Work with your network personnel to obtain the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway address. Enter
these as described next.
— Press the Enter key to choose “IP Address.” The printer shows the current IP address and a cursor
appears under the first byte of the address. (The address byte shows 3 digits when it can be changed
and the cursor appears under the right-most digit.)
— Press the Up or Down Arrow key to change the address. (Press and hold the Up or Down Arrow key to
change the value quickly.)
— When the first byte is correct, press the Enter key to move to the second byte.
— Repeat for the third and fourth byte of the IP address. When you press the Enter key after the fourth
byte of the address, “Subnet Mask” appears on the second line of the LCD panel.
— Press the Enter key. The current value appears with the cursor under the first byte. Use the same process
as for the IP address to set the subnet mask. When you press the Enter key after the fourth byte, “Gateway
Addr” appears.
— Press the Enter key. The current value appears with the cursor under the first byte. Use the same process
as for the IP address to set the gateway address. When you press the Enter key after the fourth byte of the
gateway address, “Apply/Restart” appears.
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Press the Enter key to apply the value(s) and restart the printer.
The Status light shows amber (yellow) and then blinks green. Internal printer components move and the LCD
panel changes to show “Printer Ready” on the first line.
Set the Data Format
This section applies only to the SP55 printer with the Built-in Ethernet and Open Card features.
Before you send any data to the printer, set the data format so the printer can receive the data you send.
Press the Enter key to enter the menu system.
Press the Up or Down Arrow key to scroll to “Configuration” and press the Enter key.
Press the Up or Down Arrow key to scroll to “Data Format” and press the Enter key.
Press the Up or Down Arrow key to display the data format you want on the second line of the display and
press the Enter key.
The “Apply/Restart” prompt appears on the second line of the display. Press the Enter key to confirm the data
format choice and restart the printer.
You can choose Exit to leave without changing the data format. Press the Enter key repeatedly to leave the
menu system.
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Printer and Smart Driver setup
For printer and Smart Driver setup information, see the Setup e-guide.
To begin producing cards, see the Production e-guide.
SNMP Support
The SP Series Card Printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature supports the following SNMP (simple network
management protocol) features:
•
The printer has an SNMP agent which supports the printer MIB (management information block) and MIB-II.
The agent supports SNMPv1 and SNMPv2c.
•
If you connect the printer to the network using a print server, the print server can provide SNMP data about
itself (if supported). You cannot obtain SNMP data about the printer through a print server. SNMP data about
the printer is only available through the printer Ethernet port; if you require SNMP data about the printer and
use a print server to send data, you must also connect the printer Ethernet port to the network to provide the
SNMP data.
•
The MIB-II is described in RFC (request for comment) 1213 and includes RFC 2233, the Interfaces Group MIB
using SMI v2.
•
The printer MIB is described in RFC 1759 (which requires inclusion of part of the Host Resources MIB, RFC
1514).
•
For more information about SNMP standards, see the RFC pages of the Internet Engineering Task Force Web
site at http://www.ietf.org/rfc.html.
•
The SP Series printer without the Built-in Ethernet feature does not have SNMP support. If the printer is
connected to the network, the print server must provide SNMP support.
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Updating the driver
When a newer release of the Smart Driver™ becomes available, you might want to update the printer driver to take
advantage of new features. The Printer Toolbox displays the version of the printer driver, which can help you to
decide whether to update the driver. See the SP35 Printer Guide, SP55 Printer Guide, or SP75 Printer Guide if you
need instructions on opening the Printer Toolbox.
The procedure to use depends on the operating system running on the PC. This section includes:
•
"Updating the printer driver for Windows XP or 2000"
•
"Updating the printer driver for Windows Me, 98 SE, or NT"
You can download the current printer driver from www.datacard.com. Go to the downloads area and click Printer
Drivers. Be sure to download the correct printer driver for your operating system.
When you download the printer driver, Datacard® recommends that you download the newest SP Series Info
Central and e-Guide.
Updating the printer driver for Windows XP or 2000
Tips for success
•
These steps apply to printers attached through a USB port and to directly networked printers.
•
Make sure you are logged in as the Administrator when you install or update the printer driver.
•
To update the driver, do not remove the existing printer driver if the operating system is Windows XP or
Windows 2000.
•
On a PC running Windows 2000, use the printer driver only with service pack 3 or 4 installed.
Close all applications. Do not close Windows.
Start the Setup Program:
— If the driver is on CD-ROM, insert the CD-ROM in the PC's drive.
— If you are using files downloaded from the Web, extract the files to the PC’s hard drive. The Smart Driver™
installation program will start automatically when the files have been extracted.
Click “Update the Smart Driver™” on the printer driver CD-ROM program or click “Update the Smart Driver™”
and then Next on the printer driver installation program.
A Windows message appears.
— On Windows XP, the Windows Logo Signing message appears. Click Yes to continue with installation.
Security on the PC might be set to prevent installation without a digital signature. See Windows help for
“Logo signing” to change the security setting.
— On Windows 2000, the Digital Signature Not Found message appears. Click Yes to continue with
installation. Security on the PC might be set to prevent installation without a digital signature. See Windows
help for “digital signature” to change the security setting.
The installation program copies files to the PC and updates entries to enable the printer. The driver is installed.
— If you installed the driver from CD-ROM and SP Series Info Central was previously installed, the files are
updated.
— If you installed the driver from downloaded files, a message appears to inform you that the SP Series Info
Central (or e-Guide) is not available.
— If you downloaded the SP Series Info Central and e-Guide file, double-click on the downloaded file and
follow the prompts to install or update current files.
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You must restart the PC before the driver can work with the printer. Click Finish to close the installation and
restart the PC.
Follow instructions to update the printer firmware if prompted. Make sure the printer is connected to the PC and
powered on before running the Firmware update utility.
If you downloaded the driver from the Internet, you can delete the Smart Driver folder from your hard drive after
installing the printer driver. You can also delete the downloaded SD_xxx.exe file (where xxx represents an
abbreviation for the operating system and the release).
Updating the printer driver for Windows Me, 98 SE, or NT
To update the printer driver for Windows Me, 98 SE, or NT:
Remove the existing driver as described in "Removing the existing printer driver".
Install the printer, as described in "Install the Smart Driver™ to a USB port on Windows Me or 98" or "Install the
Smart Driver™ on Windows NT".
If you are updating the driver on a client PC that shares a printer, see "Printer sharing".
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Reinstalling the driver
This section includes:
•
"Removing the existing printer driver"
•
"Running the Cleanup utility"
•
"Installing the printer and driver again"
If you have problems printing from a PC to the printer, you might need to remove the driver and install it again. Only
perform the steps in this section if the following are true:
•
Message help includes reinstalling the driver as a solution, and you have attempted all other solutions to the
message without success
•
Your service provider has asked you to remove and reinstall the driver as a solution to a problem
You can download the current printer driver from www.datacard.com. Go to the downloads area and click Printer
Drivers. Be sure to download the correct printer driver for your operating system. When you download the printer
driver, Datacard® recommends that you download the newest SP Series Info Central and e-Guide.
Removing the existing printer driver
Tips for success
•
Make sure all jobs have been printed or deleted from the Print Manager before removing the existing printer
driver. See Windows help to use the Print Manager.
•
For Windows XP and 2000 only, the Administrator and users with Manage Printers permission can delete the
printer driver.
•
For Windows NT, the Administrator, users with Administrator rights, and users with Full Control permission can
delete the printer driver.
•
The printer name and printer settings are deleted when you delete the printer driver. If needed for an
application or printer sharing, you can record the printer name and settings you use before you delete the
driver.
•
You can remove the driver if you will not use the printer from this PC again.
If the printer is connected to the PC using a USB cable, unplug the cable from the printer before deleting the
printer driver. If you do not, the operating system might install the printer again.
Close all applications. Do not close Windows.
Select Settings and then Printers or Printers (and Faxes) from the Windows Start menu.
In the Printers window, click once on the Smart Driver™ icon to select it. Press the Delete key.
When the confirmation prompt appears, select Yes or OK to delete the printer driver. Follow any prompts that
appear.
Close the Printers window and close all applications.
When the prompt to restart Windows appears, select Finish, Yes, or OK.
Restart Windows. For Windows XP, 2000, or NT, when prompted, make sure you have permission to restart
Windows and then log in as the Administrator.
If you are reinstalling the printer driver, see "Installing the driver".
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Running the Cleanup utility
Tips for success
•
Download the Cleanup Utility from the downloads area of www.datacard.com.
•
The cleanup utility is also available on the printer driver CD-ROM.
•
If you have attempted to delete the printer and the icon remains, run the Cleanup utility as though the driver
was deleted.
Begin with all Smart Driver™ printer drivers deleted from the PC. Make sure you have restarted Windows after
deleting the drivers.
Start the Cleanup process:
— If you downloaded the Cleanup Utility, double-click the Cleanup.exe file to extract and start the utility.
— Insert the Smart Driver™ CD-ROM in the PC’s drive. Select Driver Support Programs and then click
Cleanup Utility.
Click OK and then Unzip to extract files and start the Cleanup Utility.
Click OK when files are extracted. The Cleanup Utility starts automatically.
Click Yes on the Question box to open the Cleanup.pdf file using Acrobat Reader. This file provides specific
instructions on running the Cleanup utility. Follow the instructions carefully.
Exit the Smart Driver™ window and remove the CD-ROM if used.
When you run the Cleanup Utility, it removes the SP Series Info Central and e-Guide from the PC.
Installing the printer and driver again
The steps to follow to install the printer and driver depend on the operating system and how you will connect the
printer and PC. See "Installation choices" for guidance.
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Troubleshooting Installation Problems
This section describes some problems users have reported when installing the printer and provides solutions to
those problems. This section includes:
•
"Troubleshooting any installation"
•
"Local (USB) installation troubleshooting"
•
"Troubleshooting a network installation with a print server"
•
"Troubleshooting an SP Series card printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature"
•
"Removing a device from the Device Manager"
Troubleshooting any installation
The following problems might occur when installing the printer using any type of connection. Address the possible
causes in the order listed.
Problem
Cause
Possible solution
For SP35 and SP55 printers, the
light on the power supply does
not come on within 30 seconds
after plugging in the power
supply.
The power outlet does not work.
Connect the power supply to another
power source that you have verified, for
example by connecting a lamp. If the other
device works, assume the outlet functions
correctly.
The power strip, surge protector,
or similar device is not powered
on or is defective.
If you are using a power strip, surge
protector, or similar device, make sure it is
powered on and that other devices
connected through it power on.
The power supply or power cord
does not work.
Request a replacement power supply or
power cord from your dealer.
The printer is defective.
Contact your service provider for
assistance.
The light on the front of the
printer does not come on within 2
minutes after plugging in the
printer.
Local (USB) installation troubleshooting
This section describes possible problems and their solutions when using a USB connection. Address the possible
causes in the order listed.
Problem
Cause
Possible solution
Windows XP displays “USB
device not recognized” when you
power on the printer.
The printer status light was not
steady green when the printer
and PC were connected.
This is a short-term condition while all
internal elements of the printer become
functional. The message disappears by
itself when the printer is ready.
The PC does not detect the
printer when it is connected.
The printer is not powered on.
Remove one end of the USB cable.
Power on the printer.
When the printer Ready light is steady
green, connect the USB cable.
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Problem
Cause
Possible solution
The USB cable is defective.
Use a different USB cable that is up to 6.5
feet or 2 meters long.
The printer is connected through
more than 5 hubs (or devices) or
through 2 or more unpowered
hubs (or devices).
Remove hubs until the printer is
connected through 5 or fewer hubs (or
devices) or directly to the PC. Make sure
every other hub is powered.
The printer is connected through
a USB hub or device that is
defective.
Replace the USB hub or, if the printer is
connected through another device,
connect both devices through a USB hub.
The printer is connected with a
cable that is longer than
specified.
Use a USB cable that is up to 6.5 feet or 2
meters long.
If the printer is connected through a USB
hub or device, use a shorter cable
between the PC and USB hub.
The USB port on the PC is
defective.
Replace the USB port on the PC.
The operating system identified
the printer but you cancelled the
Add/Found New Hardware
wizard.
Unplug the USB cable, remove the printer
from the Device Manager and then try
again.
There is a communication
problem.
See Communication Problems.
On Windows XP, the Detect New
Hardware wizard does not
identify the printer driver on the
CD-ROM.
The operating system identified
the printer but you cancelled the
Found New Hardware wizard.
Unplug the USB cable, remove the printer
from the Device Manager and then try
again.
The Add/Found New Hardware
wizard appears when the printer
is connected or powered on,
after the printer is installed.
Windows is associating the
printer with its existing printer
database.
The wizard closes. No action is necessary.
The printer you just connected
has a different serial number
than the one previously
connected.
The Wizard installs another copy of the
printer driver. (Find the icon in the Printers
Window.) This occurs because Windows
tracks the serial number of each USB
device connected.
Troubleshooting a network installation with a print server
The following problems might occur when installing the printer using a direct network connection that includes a
print server. Address the possible causes in the order listed.
Problem
Cause
Possible solution
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Test LED does not light up on
power up the print server.
The power or network connection
for the print server is not working.
Make sure that the print server is
connected to a power source and that the
network connection is good. See the guide
for the print server.
On Windows XP or 2000, the
DCNETn port does not appear in
the Smart Driver Ports list when
installing the printer.
The network port driver was not
installed successfully.
Remove the Smart Driver™ and install the
driver again. Make sure that you choose
to install a network printer.
Port status is:
The port mode has not been
detected.
The network address or name of
the printer has not been defined.
In the printer Properties dialog box, make
sure the port is a Datacard® network port
(DCNet_) and that the IP address or
device name is configured for the port.
Port status is:
Network not responding.
The print server is not
responding to a query by the
printer driver.
Check the power to the print server, and
the connections from the printer, print
server and network. Also verify the PC
connection to the network.
Port status is:
Communication with the printer is
suspended.
The printer has been busy or the
network has not responded for
more than 30 seconds.
Resume the Printer Toolbox to see
whether the printer is busy or the network
is not responding.
If the status remains, check the printer.
Make sure it is powered on. See if another
PC is displaying a message. Address the
printer problem if possible.
Troubleshooting an SP Series card printer with the Built-in Ethernet feature
The following problems might occur when installing an SP Series printer with Built-in Ethernet feature. Address the
possible causes in the order listed.
Problem
Cause
Possible solution
You installed the Smart Driver™
and specified the IP address of
the printer, but could not connect
to the printer.
The IP addresses are not
correct.
Use the printer LCD panel to retrieve the
IP addresses (IP address, subnet mask,
and gateway address).
Make sure you have selected the correct
address mode (DHCP or Static IP). The
address mode of the printer must match
the addressing used on the network.
On SP55 printers with the Open
Card feature, the data format is
not correct.
Make sure the data format (displayed on
the LCD panel) is Smart Driver™. Change
it if needed.
On SP55 printers with the Open
Card feature, the card used a
data format that was not selected
on the LCD panel.
Change the data format so the printer
recognizes the data format sent.
A card sent from a PC does not
print.
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You sent the card using an IP
address that is not correct for the
printer.
Use the LCD panel to retrieve the IP
addresses (IP address, subnet mask, and
gateway address).
If IP addresses are not displayed, work
with network support personnel to assign
the correct IP addresses.
Make sure you have selected the correct
address mode (DHCP or Static IP). The
address mode of the printer must match
the addressing used on the network.
The printer is paused.
Press the Ready button on the LCD panel
to un-pause the printer.
If you are using the Open Card
format, the Start of Card Data (<)
command is missing from the
data stream, or the active card
layout does not result in a printed
card.
Make sure the data stream meets the
requirements of the Open Card format.
See the SP Series Data Formatting Guide
for details.
Support for Direct Network Connections
If you need assistance with the installation or use of a print server and printer, do the following in the order listed:
•
Read the installation information that came in your printer carton.
•
Work with your network support personnel, who are familiar with connecting devices to and operating devices
on the network.
•
Closely review this Installation e-Guide to see if it addresses your issue.
•
If you use a print server, read the guide(s) for the print server, which addresses many common situations not
specifically covered in this e-Guide.
•
Request assistance from your Datacard® service provider.
Removing a device from the Device Manager
Remove a device from the Device Manager if the Add/Detect New Hardware wizard was cancelled (or another
installation problem occurred), or you want to reinstall the printer driver.
1 Disconnect the printer from the PC.
2 If the printer driver was installed, make sure the printer driver has been deleted and that you have rebooted the
PC after deletion.
3 Select Start from the Windows task bar.
4 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Control Panel. The Control Panel appears.
5 Double-click the System icon to open it. The System dialog box opens.
6 Open the Device Manager.
— On Windows Me and Windows 98, click the Device Manager tab.
— On Windows XP and Windows 2000, click the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button.
7 Make sure “View devices by type” is selected.
— On Windows XP and Windows 2000, select “View hidden devices” from the View menu.
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8 Locate the device to delete. The device might be called “Unknown device” or “Smart Driver.” It is usually
marked with a yellow question mark. If neither of these types of devices is displayed, go to step 10.
— On Windows Me and Windows 98, click on the device name or icon to select it, and then click the Remove
button.
— On Windows XP and Windows 2000, click on the device name to select it, and then right-click to display a
pop-up menu. Select Remove from the pop-up menu.
9 Click Yes or OK to confirm removal of the device.
10 Click OK to close the Device Manager. Close any other windows.
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Connecting more than one printer or more than one PC
This section includes:
•
"Installing more than one printer using a USB connection"
•
"Using more than one printer on a PC"
You have several choices for having more than one printer connected to a PC or for having more than one PC
connected to a printer. Choices include:
•
Installing two printers to one PC using USB ports See "Installing more than one printer using a USB
connection" for details.
•
Installing a printer on a client PC when the printer is connected to a host PC and both PCs are connected to a
network (using Windows printer sharing). See "Printer sharing" for details.
•
Installing a printer on a network using a print server and then installing the driver on a PC on the network. This
method is called direct networking. See "Network installation" for details.
•
Installing multiple printers to a PC using a combination of connection methods. For example, one or more
printers can be directly connected to the PC and others can be connected through a network (using Windows
printer sharing or direct networking).
•
Using more than one printer installed to a PC as a printer pool, when the PC is running Windows XP or 2000.
The operating system manages sending jobs to the printers so the next available printer receives the print job.
See "Printer pooling" for details.
Installing more than one printer using a USB connection
Tips for success
•
More than one USB-connected printer on a PC running Windows 98 (including SE) is not fully supported.
Datacard® recommends using Windows XP, Me, or 2000 when using more than one printer on a PC.
•
Connect and install one printer at a time. The PC cannot run two or more installation programs at the same
time.
•
The USB protocol allows devices to be connected to the PC through another USB device (daisy-chained). USB
also uses hubs to which multiple USB devices (including other hubs) can be connected (cascaded). Up to five
hubs can be used between the printer and the PC. Datacard® printers do not have ports to support daisy
chaining. If you need to connect two Datacard® printers to a PC with one USB port, obtain a USB hub to which
both printers can be connected.
•
The printer must be powered on for the PC to detect it. It must remain powered on so the operating system can
keep track of the printer if the printer is moved from one USB port or connection to another.
Begin with the PC powered on and running. Existing Datacard® printers can be powered on or powered off.
Exit the Printer Toolbox for existing printers. Right-click on the printer icon (in the lower right corner of the
desktop) to display a pop-up menu. Select Exit from the pop-up menu.
Attach the flat end of the USB cable to the USB port on the PC or on a device connected to the PC.
Power on the printer and wait until it is ready (the printer light is steady green).
Attach the square end of the USB cable to the printer.
The operating system should detect the new device and display the Add/Detect New Hardware wizard. Follow
the prompts.
— If the operating system does not detect the printer and display the Add/Detect New Hardware wizard within
a few minutes, check the Printers window to see if the icon for the new printer is displayed. At times, the
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Wizard runs quickly and you might not notice it. If the Wizard does not appear and the icon is not present,
see "Troubleshooting Installation Problems" for more information.
— For Windows Me and 98, the Add New Hardware wizard might appear twice; to install USB printer support
and then to install the printer driver.
In most cases, the operating system will use the existing driver files to install the driver for this printer:
— On Windows Me, the Copying Files dialog box might appear. If it does, browse to the location on the hard
disk for the Windows\System folder to continue.
— On Windows 98 and 98 SE, Windows might prompt you to insert the printer driver CD-ROM to complete
installation.
Using more than one printer on a PC
When using more than one printer on a PC, keep the following in mind:
•
Select the printer to use in the application. Card jobs will be sent to the selected printer even if more than one
Datacard® printer is attached to the PC.
•
When messages are displayed, the title bar of the message box displays the name of the printer causing the
message. Keep track of which printer has which name.
•
Each printer has its own icon in the Printers window, and each printer has a separate Properties or Printer
Preferences dialog box. Settings are not shared among printers.
•
A Printer Toolbox dialog box for each printer is displayed on the desktop (unless you minimize or exit from it).
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Printer pooling
This section includes:
•
"Printer pooling"
•
"Use a printer pool"
Printer pooling is a feature of the WIndows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems. A printer pool treats a group
of printers as one printer and distributes print jobs among the available printers.
Requirements for a printer pool
To create a printer pool for Datacard® printers, you must:
•
Install the printers (connect the printers and install the Smart Driver™) to the same PC. Your can use one or
more of the following methods to install the printers:
— Install the printer locally using a USB port
— Install the printer using a direct network connection
•
Use the Windows XP or Windows 2000 operating system on the PC. (Windows NT includes support for printer
pooling; however the Datacard® Smart Driver™ does not support printer pooling on Windows NT.)
•
All printers must have the same features to be part of the pool. Printers can be installed before or after the
printer pool is set up and will be included in the pool. By default, all directly connected Datacard® printers are
included in the pool, so all printers must support and use the same card features.
For example, if the cards will have magnetic stripe data encoded, all printers must have the same type of
magnetic stripe module.
•
Use the Datacard® method for setting up printer pooling, not the Enable Printer Pooling check box on the
Properties dialog box for the printer. Windows permits checking this box but does not permit displaying a
message if the printer does not support it.
•
Special features that require interactive mode, including reading magnetic stripe and programming smart cards,
do not work with printer pooling. (The PC must communicate directly with the printer about a specific job, and
this information is not available to the PC.)
•
A printer pool that is installed without having an actual Datacard® printer and its driver installed will not print
cards.
•
Shared printers cannot be part of a printer pool.
Set up printer pooling
To set up a printer pool on a PC:
Install each printer and its driver on the PC. See "Unpacking and connecting the printer" and "Installing the
driver" for steps to follow.
Set up each printer with the same settings, especially print ribbon type, print on both sides, magnetic stripe
settings, and laminate “apply material.”
— See Working with Properties and Printing Preferences if needed.
Verify the operation of each printer on its own.
Install the Smart Driver™ printer pool (described in the following procedure).
Set up the pool with the same values that each printer uses.
— See Working with Properties and Printing Preferences if needed.
Verify the operation of the printer pool.
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Install the Smart Driver™ printer pool
Begin with Windows running and all printers installed.
Start the installation program by doing one of the following:
— Insert the Smart Driver™ CD-ROM. When the dialog box appears, click “Install the Printer”.
— Double-click the SD-2K-XP-n_n.exe file to extract downloaded driver files and start the installation program
(the n_n represents the version of the driver, such as 7_0).
On the dialog box, click “Install the Printer.”
Choose “Driver Printer Pool” from the list and click Next.
Respond to the Microsoft dialog box to complete installation:
— For Windows XP, click Continue Anyway on the Windows Logo testing message.
— For Windows 2000, click Yes on the Digital Signature Not Found message.
The installation program runs to install the printer pool.
Use a printer pool
Begin with the PC powered on and the driver and printer pool installed.
Tips for success
•
To use the printer pool effectively, each card must be sent from the application as a separate job. Some
applications, such as Datacard® ID Works, send each card in a batch as a separate job, while others send the
batch as one job. Test the application you use to determine the best way to send multiple cards to the printer
pool.
•
If you do not want one or more printers to print cards as part of the pool, power off that printer. The printer pool
will identify a printer as available even when the printer status is Suspended or Not Responding if the printer is
powered on. If you need to use a printer separately from the printer pool, install it on another PC or contact your
service provider for assistance.
•
Some applications track card completion status, and this data is available for cards sent to the printer pool. The
application can query the printer pool and obtain status for all cards processed through the pool. Card
completion status does not indicate which printer actually printed the job.
•
In the Printing Preferences dialog box for the printer pool, select SP35, SP55, or SP75 as the printer type.
•
For magnetic stripe encoding, use the same coercivity and magnetic stripe format values for all printers and the
printer pool. (If you select “Use printer settings,” make sure the settings in the printers are the same; use the
Printer Diagnostics utility to view magnetic stripe values if needed.)
To use a printer pool:
In the application used to print cards, select the name assigned to the printer pool when it was installed.
Make sure that all printers you want to receive card data and print cards have the same type of supplies loaded
and the same settings.
— For example, to print color and encode magnetic stripe, load YMCKT ribbon in the printer and use highcoercivity magnetic stripe cards. Each printer identifies the ribbon type as YMCKT, but the pool cannot
identify the Print Ribbon Type so you must set the Print Ribbon Type.
Make sure the printers are powered on and ready.
Select Print in the application. The application sends the cards to the printer pool, which randomly distributes
the card jobs among the available Datacard® printers. When all printers are busy, the printer pool keeps the
card jobs in a queue until the next printer is not busy. It will send the next card job as soon as any printer in the
pool is available. A printer is available if:
— The number of jobs active in the printer is less than the number of jobs supported for that printer type
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— No jobs are pending in the spooler for that printer
— The printer is not paused
— The printer is not set to “work offline”
— The printer status is not “User Intervention Required”
— The Printer Toolbox is not in Advanced Setup mode
After a card is sent by the printer pool to a specific printer, it cannot be removed from that printer and assigned
to another printer.
When a printer issues a message, the message appears on the PC with the name of the printer in the title bar
of the message box. The printer will be unavailable to print cards until the situation causing the message is
corrected. Other printers in the pool will continue to receive card jobs and print cards.
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Printer sharing
This section includes:
•
"Requirements for local printer sharing"
•
"Components"
•
"Setting up printing sharing"
•
"Installing the printer driver on the client PC"
•
"Performing management tasks at the host PC"
•
"Using the printer from the client PC"
This section describes how you can print to a printer over a network using Microsoft File and Printer Sharing. A
shared printer is connected to a PC with the printer driver installed (host PC). Users at other PCs on the network
(clients) can print to the shared printer over the network. Up to 10 client PCs can share the printer at one time.
Users at client PCs do not have the same level of access to the printer driver as a user at the host PC.
The following operating system configurations are supported:
•
Both the client and host PCs run Windows XP.
•
Both the client and host PCs run Windows Me or Windows 98 (Second Edition).
•
Both the client and host PCs run Windows 2000.
•
Both the client and host PCs run Windows NT 4.0. (Network connection only between a printer and the host
PC)
Requirements for local printer sharing
Before sharing a printer over the network, meet the following requirements:
•
A network card is installed in and working on each PC to use the printer.
•
The same Windows operating system is installed on and operating on each PC.
•
If you are installing both a network card and a service pack or Windows upgrade, install the network card first
and then install the service pack or upgrade. If you installed a service pack or upgrade before installing a
network card, you might need to install the service pack or upgrade again.
•
The printer must be enabled for sharing. See Windows help for information on enabling printer sharing.
•
The PC with the printer attached must remain on, and the Windows operating system must be running. For
Windows XP and 2000, a user with Print, Manage Printers, and Manage Documents permissions to the printer
must be logged on at the host PC so that other users can print. For Windows NT, a user with Full Control
permission to the printer must be logged on at the host PC so that other users can print.
•
If more than one printer is connected to a PC and one is a shared printer, the printers must have different
names.
•
For Windows XP, 2000, and NT, you must set up permission for users at the client PC and permission for users
at the host PC. See "Setting printer permissions" for more information.
Components
This section describes the components you need to use the SP Series printer with local printer sharing.
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Network: A network must be set up and working before you begin. See "Network installation" for more information.
Host PC: The host PC has the printer attached to it. The host PC must be connected to the network. For Windows
2000, Windows XP, and Windows NT, you need to set up users and access.
Port connection: The printer can be connected to a USB port on the host PC, or can have a direct network
connection to the host PC, in the same way as though you were using it just from the host PC.
Client PC: The client PC is connected to the host PC over the network.
Setting up printing sharing
To set up printer sharing, do the following:
Install the printer driver on the host PC. See the "Installing the driver" for more information.
With the printer power on, change settings to reflect your card design, including printer features such as ribbon
type and magnetic stripe settings. Record the settings so you can also make those settings on the client PC.
Enable printer sharing. See Windows help for more information.
For Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT, set up an account for each user.
— At the host PC set up accounts for users who log onto the host PC and for users who log onto the client
PC(s).
— At the client PC set up an account for the user who logs onto the client PC.
For Windows XP and Windows 2000, grant users' permission to the printer from the host PC, including:
— Client PC users who have Print permission to the printer.
— Host PC users who also have Print, Manage Printers, and Manage Documents permissions to the printer.
— Host PC users (if any) who are denied permission to the printer.
For Windows NT, grant users' permission to the printer from the host PC, including:
— Client PC users who have Print permission to the printer.
— Host PC users who also have Full Control permission to the printer.
— Host PC users who have No Access permission to the printer.
Make sure client PC users can access the host PC from the network.
Install the printer driver on the client PC. See the following procedure.
At the client PC, set the printer type in the Properties, Printing Preferences, or Default Document Properties
dialog box.
10 Change driver settings on the client PC to match settings on the host PC.
Installing the printer driver on the client PC
Tips for success
•
If an Express Class v1.x, Select Class v2.x or v3.x, Magna Class v2.x, or ImageCard IV printer driver is
installed on the client PC, delete the printer driver and restart Windows before continuing.
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•
For Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows NT, log onto the client PC as a user with access rights to the
host PC. You also need Print permission to the shared printer to open the Printing Preferences dialog box and
to print test cards.
•
A PC can have a locally connected (USB) Datacard® printer attached, a directly networked Datacard® printer
attached, and be connected to a shared printer as a client PC. All printers connected to the PC must be
supported by and use the current version of the Smart Driver™.
•
If you use more than one connection method on a PC, install the locally and/or directly-network connected
printer(s), and then follow the steps in this section to install the shared printer last. The shared printer must
have a different name from the other printers.
•
If you update the Smart Driver™ on the host PC, you need to remove the driver from the client PC. See
"Removing the existing printer driver" to remove the existing driver. Follow the steps in this section and then
restart Windows before printing from the PC.
Make sure that the printer and driver on the host PC are working properly before beginning this task.
Start Windows at the client PC and log onto the network.
Use Windows Explorer, Network Neighborhood, or My Computer to locate the host PC.
When you locate the host PC, click the icon for the host PC to display the Enter Network Password dialog box.
Type your password and click OK to log on to the host PC. Keep the window open during printer driver
installation.
In the Printers window, double-click the Add Printers icon.
In the Add Printers wizard, select the following choices:
Choose the "Network printer" button, not the "My Computer" or “Local printer” button.
Choose to browse for the printer. An expandable list of printers and/or PCs appears.
If needed, double-click a server or PC name to see the names of printers attached.
Choose the printer to which the user will print. The printer name appears in the Printer box.
Change the name of the printer if needed so it is different from the name of other Datacard® printers
attached to the PC.
f Continue to follow the prompts on the Add Printers Wizard.
g If you have not logged into the PC with the printer attached, you will receive a message. Return to step 3
and repeat the procedure.
h If you are prompted, choose "Replace existing driver," not "Keep existing driver (recommended)."
i If you are prompted to print a test page, click No. You must set values in the Properties, Printing
Preferences, or Default Document Properties dialog box before printing.
When the printer has been installed on the client PC, change settings on the client PC to reflect the printer and
your card design. Open Properties (Windows Me and 98), Printing Preferences (Windows XP or 2000), or
Default Document Properties (Windows NT) to change settings.
— Set the printer type and click OK or Apply.
— Set the ribbon type to match the ribbon in the printer and the setting on the host PC.
— Change settings that apply to the printer, such as magnetic stripe, so they do not conflict with the host PC
and printer features.
— Change settings to reflect your card design, such as portrait or landscape orientation. These settings can be
different from the settings on the host PC.
From the Properties, Printing Preferences, or Default Document Properties dialog box for the shared printer,
print a Windows test page from the client PC.
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Performing management tasks at the host PC
The user at the host PC has more control over the printer and more information about the printer. This section
describes some tasks performed at the host PC.
For Windows XP and 2000, the user must be logged in with Print, Manage Printers, and Manage Documents
permissions. For Windows NT, the user must be logged in as a user with Full Control permission.
•
Manage all jobs in the print queue. You can use Print Manager to view all jobs in the print queue and to pause
or delete any jobs in the print queue, no matter who submitted the job. The job remains in the print queue until
it has been sent to the printer. See Windows help for information on using Print Manager.
•
See and respond to messages. If the printer is not able to process and print a card, the printer driver displays a
message on the host PC, not the client PC. You can see the message and view help, which guides you in
resolving the situation. Printing for all users is suspended until the situation is resolved.
•
On Windows XP, 2000, and NT, set printer values, such as ribbon type, for all users. The values you set in the
Printing Preferences or Default Document Properties dialog box apply to all users. Several values can be
changed at client PCs, but those values apply only to the print jobs being sent. Values you set are used at client
PCs after the client PC queries the host PC. Open the Printing Preferences or Default Document Properties
dialog box at each client PC after setting values at the host PC to query the host PC. (You can close the dialog
box at the client PC after viewing it.) If you do not open the Properties dialog box, the client PC does not query
the host PC, the first card printed will not use the new settings, and you will need to send the card to print again.
•
On Windows Me and 98, set or view values that control card processing for all users. Record the ribbon type so
you can set it correctly at the client PC. The values you set for Mag Stripe encoding can affect all users.
•
View printer status. The host PC runs the Printer Toolbox and all status functions. The Printer Toolbox is open
by default. See Open the Printer Toolbox for details.
•
Use all features of the Smart Driver™ Toolbox. The Printer Toolbox on the host PC provides access to settings,
including edge to edge settings and color controls.
•
Run the firmware update utility. The host PC displays a prompt when you need to run the firmware update
utility. The utility works only from a PC with the printer directly connected to it.
Using the printer from the client PC
For Windows XP, 2000, and NT, users at the client PC must be logged into the host PC and must have Print
permission to the printer. Users at the client PC can perform several actions, including:
•
Print a card using an application at the client PC. At the client PC, you can use an application to print cards by
selecting the printer in the application. See Card Production for details.
•
Print a card using an application and magnetic stripe fonts from the client PC. When you print from an
application such as Microsoft Word, you can type text and format it using fonts provided by the printer driver.
•
For Windows Me and 98, set card design values. Select the same Ribbon Type as the Host PC. For other
settings, such as Magnetic Stripe Encoding Format, the printer must support the setting you select but the
setting can be different from the Host PC setting.
•
For Windows XP, 2000, and NT, change card design settings, including settings such as landscape or portrait
orientation. Many settings are read from the host PC and cannot be selected.
•
Do not use the Restore Defaults feature on any operating system. The Restore Defaults function attempts to
query the printer to verify its features and cannot access the printer over the network.
•
Pause or delete print jobs you submitted from Print Manager at the client PC. The card job remains in the print
queue until it is sent to the printer. See Windows help for information on using Print Manager.
•
View status of the client PC. The Printer Toolbox dialog box is also available on the client PC. It displays the
client status and a reminder that the host PC provides messages and additional status information.
SP Series Install e-Guide
53
•
Use the Color Settings page of the Toolbox. The Printer Toolbox box on the client PC provides access to the
Color Settings page. The color settings can be used to fine-tune the appearance of cards sent from the client
PC.
•
On Windows XP, 2000, and NT, view the Print Manager to see printer messages from the host PC. The card
job remains in the print queue until it is sent to the printer. You can expand the Status column in the Print
Manager dialog box to see the messages.
SP Series Install e-Guide
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SP Series Install e-Guide
55
PC port settings
This section describes how to configure ports on the PC attached to the printer. For a local connection, the PC
uses a USB port. If the printer includes a smart card module, that module connects to a USB or serial port on the
PC. (This section does not address any network setup issues.)
This section includes:
•
"Set up a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port on all operating systems"
•
"Setting the serial port on Windows XP or 2000"
•
"Setting a serial port for Windows Me or 98"
•
"Setting the serial port on Windows NT"
Set up a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port on all operating systems
These steps apply to the USB data port and to an optional smart card USB port. If the printer includes two USB
ports, follow these steps for each port. The ports are not connected inside the printer to preserve the data security
of the smart card port.
This section does not apply to Windows NT.
Right-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop and then choose Properties from the popup menu. The
System Properties dialog box appears.
Click the Device Manager tab to view a list of devices. (On Windows XP and Windows 2000, click the Hardware
tab and then click the Device Manager button.)
Choose “View devices by type” if needed.
Click the + next to Universal Serial Bus controllers to display the USB port controllers.
Click USB Root Hub, and then click the Properties button. (On Windows XP and Windows 2000, right-click USB
Root Hub and then choose Properties from the pop-up menu.) The USB Root Hub Properties dialog box
appears.
Make sure that the device is enabled.
— For Windows Me and 98, make sure that “Disable this hardware profile” is not selected.
— On Windows XP, make sure that "Use this device (enable)" is selected from the Device Usage drop-down
menu.
Click OK to close the dialog box.
Click the other entry, which includes the name of the installed USB device and ends with “Host Controller,” and
then click the Properties button. (On Windows XP and Windows 2000, right-click USB Host Controller and then
choose Properties from the pop-up menu.) The Properties dialog box appears.
— Make sure that the device is enabled:
— For Windows Me and 98, make sure that “Disable this hardware profile” is not selected.
— On Windows XP, make sure that "Use this device (enable)" is selected from the Device Usage dropdown menu.
— Click the Resources tab. The “Conflicting device list” should show "No conflicts."
— If the Resources tab shows conflicts, choose another configuration or change the settings for the port,
following port instructions.
SP Series Install e-Guide
56
Click OK on the Properties dialog box and on the System Properties dialog box to save settings and close the
dialog boxes.
Serial port settings
This section describes how to set serial port values. A serial port might be used with a smart card module.
For some smart card applications, you connect the PC to the serial port on the printer. The PC should be set to
match the printer serial port settings.
If you use a contact station with the printer, see the information about the contact station for port settings.
Setting the serial port on Windows XP or 2000
From the Start menu, choose Settings and then Control Panel.
From the Control Panel, open System.
Select the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button.
Press the "+" next to Ports and double click the Communications Port to open the Communications Port
Properties dialog box.
Click the Port Settings tab.
— If the PC has more than one serial port, make sure you view the settings for the serial port to which the
smart card module is attached.
SP Series Install e-Guide
57
Use the following settings:
Setting
Value
Baud rate
9600
Data bits
Parity
None
Stop bits
Flow control
None
When the settings are correct, click OK to save settings and close the dialog box.
Setting a serial port for Windows Me or 98
From the Start menu, choose Settings and then Control Panel.
From the control panel, open System.
On the System Properties dialog box, click the Device Manager tab.
SP Series Install e-Guide
58
Press the "+" next to Ports (COM & LPT) to display a list of ports.
From the Ports list, choose the port, such as COM1 or COM2.
— If the PC has more than one serial port, make sure you view the settings for the serial port to which the
smart card is attached.
Click the Properties button.
In the Communications Port Properties dialog box, click the Port Settings tab.
SP Series Install e-Guide
59
Use the following settings:
Setting
Value
Bits per second
9600
Data bits
Parity
None
Stop bits
Flow control
None
When the settings are correct, click OK to save settings and close the dialog box.
Setting the serial port on Windows NT
From the Start menu, choose Settings and then Control Panel.
From the Control Panel, open Ports.
From the Ports dialog box, choose the port, such as COM1 or COM2.
Click the Settings button to display the port settings.
— If the PC has more than one serial port, make sure you view the settings for the serial port to which the
smart card is attached.
Use the following settings:
Setting
Value
Baud rate
9600
Data bits
Parity
None
SP Series Install e-Guide
60
Stop bits
Flow control
None
When the settings are correct, click OK to save settings and close the dialog box.
SP Series Install e-Guide
61
On the CD-ROM
The printer is shipped with a CD-ROM that contains the printer driver (Smart Driver™), user information, and other
utilities and files that you might want.
The following table lists the contents of the CD-ROM, the path, and the purpose of the program, file, or utility:
Path
Purpose
Datacard® Smart Driver™
CD-ROM
D:\SETUP.exe#
User-friendly access to all
of the applications on the
CD-ROM
Printer driver for Windows
XP and 2000
D:\DsPnp.inf#
Installation for Windows XP
and 2000 that meets
Microsoft Plug-and-Play
requirements
Printer driver for Windows
Me and 98
D:\Me-98\SETUP.exe#
Custom installation for
Windows Me and Windows
98
Printer driver for Windows
NT (supports networked
printers)
D:\NT\ SETUP.exe#
Custom installation for
Windows NT 4.0
e-Guide installation
D:\e-Guide\SP_eGuide_v.exe#†
Installation program for SP
Series Info Centrall.
e-Guide installation
D:\e-Guide\IC4_eGuide_v.exe#†
Installation program for
ImageCard IV e-Guide.
e-Guide installation
D:\e-Guide\Mag_eGuide_v.exe#†
Installation program for
Magna e-Guide.
e-Guide installation
D:\e-Guide\Sel_eGuide_v.exe#†
Installation program for
Select e-Guide.
e-Guides (use the eGuide(s) that match the
printer(s) installed on the
PC)
D:\e-Guide\SP Series\
SP_Info_Central.chm# and
other files with names in the
xxx.chm format
SP Series Info Central and
e-Guide files, which contain
detailed information about
the SP Series printers
D:\e-Guide\ Magna Class with
AIT\
DM-e-Guide.pdf# and other
files with names in the
M_xxx.pdf format
Magna e-Guide files, which
contains error recovery
procedures linked to help.
D:\e-Guide\ Select Class with
AIT\
DS-e-Guide.pdf# and other files
with names in the S_xxx.pdf
format
Select e-Guide files, which
contains error recovery
procedures linked to help.
SP Series Install e-Guide
62
Path
Purpose
D:\e-Guide\ ImageCard IV\
D4-e-Guide.pdf# and other files
with names in the 4_xxx.pdf
format
ImageCard IV e-Guide,
which contains error
recovery procedures linked
to help.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
installation
D:\Adobe\
AdbeRdr60_CHS.exe,
AdbeRdr60_CHT.exe,
AdbeRdr60_DEU.exe,
AdbeRdr60_ENU.exe,
AdbeRdr60_ESP.exe,
AdbeRdr60_FRA.exe,
AdbeRdr60_ITA.exe,
AdbeRdr60_JPN.exe
AdbeRdr60_PTB.exe#
Installation program for
Adobe Acrobat Reader,
Version 6.0. The Reader
(version 3 or higher) is
required to view the eGuides for Select, Magna
and ImageCard IV printers,
part of the help system.
Printer Diagnostics Utility
D:\Support\Diagnostics\
Diagnostics_vvv.exe#†
Installation program for the
Printer Diagnostics Utility,
used to identify or fix printer
problems
Cleanup Utility
D:\Support\Diagnostics\
CLEANUP_vvv.exe#†
Installation program for the
Cleanup Utility, which is
used after removing a
version 1.x or 2.x driver.
Windows Color Profile for
SP Series card printers
D:\Support\ SP_Prof.icc#
Color profile to use in
Windows applications
Support files
D:\Support\YMCKT.prn#
D:\Support\mono.prn#
Files used at the direction
of service for
troubleshooting.
Smart Driver™ SDK
D:\Support\SDK\
Smart Driver™ SDK.exe#
Self-extracting file for the
Smart Driver™ SDK which
is used to write applications
that work with the printer.
Windows Base Smart Card
Components
D:\Support\ SCBase.exe#†
Installation program for the
Windows files needed to
use a smart card reader.
# Where
†
D is the drive letter of the CD-ROM drive
Where v is the version, such as C or 7.0
The printer drivers are updated from time to time to provide optimal functionality. You can obtain the most recent
printer driver for the PC operating system you use from www.datacard.com. You also can request the newest
release of the printer driver on CD-ROM. The part number changes with each release. The e-Guides are also
updated from time to time and can be downloaded from the Datacard® web site at www.datacard.com.
SP Series Install e-Guide
1
Add New Hardware wizard 13, 38, 43
address mode
network set up 28
Administrator
Windows 2000 and XP 17, 33, 35
Windows NT 18
Adobe Acrobat Reader 62
badging system
installation sequence 4
built-in Ethernet option 24
cable
connecting 8
data 8
network 24
USB 8, 38
card
factory-printed 15
cascade USB devices 5, 43
Cleanup Utility 5, 36
client PC 49
connection
Ethernet 26
USB 26
data format
setting up network printer 30
data port 4
Detect New Hardware wizard 43
DHCP network addressing 26
driver, See printer driver 4
e-Guide
CD-ROM location 61
Ethernet
connecting 26
printer SNMP support 30
support 24
factory-printed cards 15
Found New Hardware wizard 38
SP Series Install e-Guide
2
host PC 49
management 52
HP
print server 26
ID system
installation sequence 4
Installation 5
installation
Adobe Acrobat Reader 62
audience 3
choices 11
connect more than one printer 5
Copying Files dialog box 44
fixing problems 40
prepare the printer 25
printer ready 9
report 15
sequence 4
set up tips 15
using Ethernet port 26
with wired print server 26
with wireless print server 27
magnetic stripe module
fonts at client PC 52
message
on host PC 52
printer name in title bar 44
MIB
printer 30
SNMP support 30
network
connect data cable 26
DHCP address mode 26
permissions 26, 52
port 26
requirements 24, 49
set up printer 28
setup 49
static IP address mode 26
SP Series Install e-Guide
3
network installation
connecting to the network 26
directly from printer 23
overview 23
requirements 24
types of connections 23
with print server 23
with wired print server 26
with wireless print server 23, 27
operating systems supported 4
PC
client 50
connecting more than one printer 5, 43
host 50
ID software 4
network setup 49
requirements 4
settings 55
permissions 17
network 26
port
data 4
smart card serial 56
USB 4, 8
USB settings 55
power
cord 7
print
jobs 35
spooler 35
Print Manager 35
client PC 52
print server
wired 26
wireless 26, 27
printer
access 17, 18
change type connected 21
Ethernet option 24
icon 44
local and network 5, 43
SP Series Install e-Guide
4
more than one per PC 5, 43, 44
network setup 28
restart 30
sharing 49
SNMP support 30
Printer Diagnostic Utility 5
printer driver
change printer type 21
client PC 50, 52
directly networked 33
host PC 50, 52
install using USB port 11, 13
installing 11
installing network client 50
PC requirements 4
printers supported 21
removing 35
update Windows 2000 and XP 33
update Windows ME, 98 SE, NT 34
printer parts
data cable 8
power cord 7
power receptacle 7
USB cable 8
printer servers, types supported 24
Printer Toolbox
more than one printer 44
Printers window 35
program
ID software 4
printer driver 4
requirements
data cable 8
site 3
supplies storage 3
requirements, PC and software 4
service pack for Windows 2000 11, 33
service pack for Windows XP 11
settings
color settings on client PC 53
setup tips 15
SP Series Install e-Guide
5
site requirements 3
Smart Driver
see printer driver 21
SNMP support 30
software requirements 4
SP60 printer, use SP55 instructions 7
Start menu 35
static IP
network addressing 26
status light
restart 30
storage
supplies 3
supplies
storage 3
TCP/IP protocol 24
USB
connect cable 8
port settings 55
USB port 4
cable specifications 8
connect print server 26
connecting more than one printer 5, 43
maximum number of hubs 5, 43
troubleshooting 37
wired print server 26
wireless print server 27
utilities
Cleanup 5, 36, 62
firmware 34
printer diagnostics 5
Smart Driver Diagnostics 62
Windows
printer sharing 49
Windows 2000 17
administrator 33
host PC permission 52
PC settings 59
permission to delete printer 35
permissions 17, 18, 49
SP Series Install e-Guide
6
printer sharing 49
service pack 33
update printer driver 33
USB port 55
Windows Me and 98
printer sharing 49
Windows NT
host PC permission 52
network permissions 52
permission to delete printer 35
permissions 18, 49
printer sharing 49
service pack 4
Windows operating systems supported 4
Windows PC settings 55
Windows Server 2003 4
Windows XP
administrator 33
host PC permission 52
PC settings 56
permission to delete printer 35
permissions 17, 49
printer sharing 49
service pack 4
update printer driver 33
USB port 55
wireless
adapter for computer 27
network connection 23
SP Series Install e-Guide
SETUP FOR CARD DESIGN GUIDE
Setting up for your card design 1
Getting started 1
How do I create a card design? 1
What is a card design? 1
When should I perform setup tasks? 1
What do I use to set up the printer? 2
Why are there several interfaces to set up the printer? 2
Card design checklist 3
Working with Properties and Printing Preferences 5
Properties for Windows Me & 98 5
Properties & Printing Preferences for Windows 2000 & XP 7
Properties and Default Document Properties for Windows NT 9
Changing the type of print ribbon 11
Set up for monochrome printing 12
Color settings 14
Changing the color settings 14
Changing settings in the printer 20
Process for changing settings 20
Change printing intensity 21
Fine-tune edge-to-edge printing 22
Change laminator settings (SP75 only) 23
Customizing blocking regions 26
About customized blocking 26
Blocking choices 26
Setting a customized blocking area 29
Magnetic Stripe Setup 31
Magnetic stripe escapes 32
Enabling magnetic stripe escapes 32
Using magnetic stripe escapes 33
IATA, ABA, and TTS character sets 34
NTT character set 35
Magnetic Stripe settings used by the printer 36
Smart card setup 37
Requirements 37
Smart card codes on the printer label 37
Obtaining smart card support files 38
Hardware set up 39
Verify Windows installation of a smart card reader 41
Laminator Setup 42
Laminator materials 42
Purposes 43
Card design issues 43
Two laminators 43
Verify setup 44
SP Series Info Central: Setup
1
Setting up for your card design
The driver provides settings that you can use to make sure that your cards print as you intend. These settings
provide users of the printer with great flexibility in printing, encoding a magnetic stripe, or personalizing a smart
card. This flexibility makes it very difficult to provide you with a step-by-step process for getting your cards to print
as you intend. Instead, Datacard recommends that you do one of the following:
•
Work with your value-added reseller or dealer to design cards and set up the printer to produce them.
•
Understand the features of your card design, read information in this section to match features to printer
settings, and change the settings to produce the cards.
Getting started
How do I create a card design?
•
ID Works® and Preface ID™ software from Datacard® are designed to capture, format, and manage the data
that often appears on cards. (Other applications can use the Smart Driver™ API or other driver features to
handle card-specific data.) See www.datacard.com for more information about Datacard products and
downloads.
•
A PC application that can be used for many purposes, such as Word, Excel, or Paint Shop Pro, can be used to
create a card design and format the data for the cards.
•
This section focuses on the settings, not the application you use. When the application has an effect on the
driver settings, this section will include that information.
What is a card design?
•
Card design is the name given to the combined features of the cards you produce. Cards are useful only when
all cards contain the same information: Name, photo, and so on.
•
The card design includes the different types of data (name, ID number, and so on), images (logo, photo, and so
on), and special features such as bar code, magnetic stripe, or smart card on the card.
•
Card design also includes the way those components are arranged.
•
Card design includes processes, such as applying topcoat either from the print ribbon or using a laminator
(SP75 only), any blocking for printed topcoat, or applying a patch using a laminator (SP75 only) to improve card
security or card life.
•
Card design frequently includes quality guidelines. For example, corporate style guidelines might require that a
specific shade of red be used for a logo.
•
An organization might have more than one card design. For example, a health club is likely to produce member
cards and employee cards.
•
See "Card design checklist".
When should I perform setup tasks?
•
Initial setup: When you obtain the printer and have the card design complete, perform setup tasks to get the
printer to produce the cards you want.
•
Production changes: If you make substantial changes to the way you produce cards, review setup tasks to
make sure cards continue to have the quality you require. For example, if you purchase a new brand of
(unprinted) cards, you might notice changes in the color of some images.
•
New card design: If you change the design of your cards, or if you start producing an additional card design,
review setup tasks to make sure each design prints as required. You might identify changes to your process to
support printing of two different designs.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
2
What do I use to set up the printer?
•
Properties dialog box:
On Windows 98 and Me, the Properties dialog box includes typical printer settings, such as landscape or
portrait orientation, and settings for card printers, such magnetic stripe settings. See "Working with Properties
and Printing Preferences" to change settings.
The Windows 98 and Me Properties dialog box also includes port and communication settings. On Window XP,
2000 and NT, the Properties dialog box includes port and communication settings and permissions.
See Network Installation to configure a network port.
See Setting Printer Permissions to set user permissions.
•
Printing Preferences:
The Printing Preferences dialog box is displayed on Windows 2000 and XP to provide typical printer settings,
such as landscape or portrait orientation. See "Working with Properties and Printing Preferences" to change
settings.
•
Document Defaults:
The Default Document Properties dialog box is displayed on Windows NT to provide typical printer settings,
such as landscape or portrait orientation. See "Working with Properties and Printing Preferences" to change
settings.
•
Printer Toolbox:
The Printer Toolbox provides information about printer-driver communication, buttons for performing tasks such
as running a cleaning card, and access to color settings and advanced setup. See Printer Toolbox help for
more information.
•
Advanced Setup:
Advanced Setup is a special mode that allows you to view or change some settings in the printer. For SP Series
printers, you can change where printing occurs on a card and the intensity for topcoat or monochrome (singlecolor) printing. For the SP75 printer, you can change where the laminator applies topcoat or patch. See
"Changing settings in the printer" for more information.
•
Printer Diagnostics:
Printer Diagnostics is a separate application that you can install to perform tests on the printer with the
guidance of your service provider. It also includes settings that might need to be changed for special-purpose
cards.
Why are there several interfaces to set up the printer?
•
Microsoft Windows provides a set of tools that other products (such as SP Series printers) can use for viewing
and changing device settings (Properties or Printing Preferences dialog box). The functions available meet
some but not all needs for setting up card printers. In addition the organization and functions available are
different for Windows 98/ME and Windows 2000/XP. Because the printers can be used on several operating
systems and include functions that cannot be managed through standard Windows tools, more than one
interface is needed.
•
As Datacard® printers have changed over time, the features needed in the driver have changed. In addition,
some tasks are mutually exclusive. For example, you cannot change printhead settings at the same time as
you are printing cards. The current interfaces are the result of efforts by Datacard to meet the needs of
customers and dealers who use the printer. (The driver for SP Series printers can be used with other Datacard
printers.)
•
Some tasks are advanced, requiring a higher level of knowledge about the printer. These tasks are usually
performed infrequently, and only by service providers or with the guidance of service providers, and so should
not be easily available.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
3
Card design checklist
Use this checklist to guide your selection of set up tasks to perform.
Before you print the design:
•
Does the card include a smart card or magnetic stripe on the printed side of the card? If yes, set topcoat
blocking to prevent application of topcoat over that feature. See "Working with Properties and Printing
Preferences" to use the Printing Preferences, Properties, or Document Defaults dialog box.
•
Does the card include additional features, such as a signature panel, that require print or topcoat blocking? Is
the PC running the Windows XP or Windows 2000 operating system? If yes to both questions, see
"Customizing blocking regions" for more information.
•
Does the card include a custom image in the topcoat? Is the PC running the Windows XP or Windows 2000
operating system? If yes to both questions, see "Customizing blocking regions" for more information.
•
Does the card include a magnetic stripe? If yes, see "Magnetic Stripe Setup" for more information.
•
Does the card include a smart card? If yes, see "Smart card setup" for more information.
•
If the printer is an SP75 printer, does the card include topcoat or patch applied using a laminator? If yes, see
"Laminator Setup" for more information.
•
Do you want to power off the printer when fixing problems, or is saving ribbon very important to you? The
Ribbon Initialization setting determines whether the printer moves ribbon to the start of a panel set when it
powers up. If saving ribbon is very important, leave this setting unchecked and fix any problems in the printer
with the power on. If powering off the printer to fix problems is more important than saving ribbon, check this
setting so cards printed after printer power-on will print correctly. See "Working with Properties and Printing
Preferences" to use the Printing Preferences, Properties, or Document Defaults dialog box.
Make several cards using your card design and evaluate the quality of the card.
•
Are you printing bar codes? If yes, check the cards in your bar code reader to make sure they are easy to read.
If needed, change the printing intensity for K to improve bar code readability. See "Change printing intensity".
•
Are you printing both photos and a logo in color? Use the following sequence to obtain the best color quality:
— Check the color quality of the photos first.
— Change the image capture system (If used) to get the best quality photos. For example, work with distance,
lighting, and camera settings to obtain consistent, high quality photos. If your capture equipment provides a
color profile, you can also install the color profile for the printer, named SP_Prof.icc and located in the
Support folder of the driver CD-ROM.
— After you optimize the image capture system, evaluate the quality of printed photos. If needed, change the
Color Settings for optimal printing of photos. Color settings affect all colored areas of the card, but you can
change other components to return them to optimal color. See "Color settings" for more information.
— Next, evaluate the other colored areas of the card, such as text or logos.
— You might want to use settings in the application to improve the printed color of text.
— You might also want to use an image editing application (such as PhotoShop or PaintShopPro) to change
the color of a logo file (bitmap) for optimal printing.
•
If you print without a margin (the setting is edge-to-edge), observe whether the both long edges of the card
appear evenly printed. If not, change the position of printing on the card. See "Fine-tune edge-to-edge printing"
for steps to follow.
If you print with only one color (monochrome or K ribbon), decide whether to perform the following setup
tasks:
•
If you print photos:
SP Series Info Central: Setup
4
— Select a dithering method (for Windows 98 or Me) to manage how color photos are printed using one color.
— Use the Brightness, Contrast, and Sharpness controls on the Color Settings page to obtain the best quality
printed photos. See "Color settings" for more information.
•
Adapt your card design to use the ribbon saver feature. See "Using Ribbon Saver" for details.
•
Change the print intensity to optimize printing of features such as bar codes or small text. See "Changing the
print intensity" for details.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
5
Working with Properties and Printing Preferences
Printer driver settings and data are organized in a set of dialog boxes or pages where settings for the printer are
displayed and can be changed. The dialog boxes are organized differently for Windows Me and 98, Windows 2000,
Windows XP, and Windows NT. Use the section that applies to the operating system you use.
•
"Properties for Windows Me & 98"
•
"Properties & Printing Preferences for Windows 2000 & XP"
•
"Properties and Default Document Properties for Windows NT"
The default printer name when the driver is installed is Smart Driver™. References in this guide to the printer driver
refer to the Smart Driver™. The driver detects the type of printer attached and displays a status icon that matches
the printer type.
Tips for Properties and Printing Preferences
•
When it is installed, the Smart Driver™ printer driver uses default settings for the printer. Make sure that driver
settings match printer features and supplies used.
•
For settings that affect the printer, such as magnetic stripe settings, make sure that the printer and PC are
connected so the value you select is sent to the printer and saved. (For settings that affect only the card format,
such as landscape or portrait orientation, the printer does not need to be connected and powered on.)
•
The Print Ribbon Type setting depends on the printer and cannot be changed for local USB and direct network
connections. (For shared printers, you must set the Print Ribbon Type at the client PC.)
•
The application you use might override driver settings. Also, you can access printer settings through the
application’s print feature. (Depending on the application and operating system, settings might apply only to the
current document or session.)
•
When the printer is installed, the default spool setting is “Spool printing so program finishes printing faster.” Use
this setting, not “Print directly to printer.”
•
When the printer is installed, “Enable bi-directional support” is selected. This setting is required to display
messages, print test cards, and perform other functions.
•
If the selections you want to use are not available (are grayed out), make sure the feature is available in the
printer. Also make sure that the printer is powered on and connected to the PC and resume communication
using the Printer Toolbox.
Properties for Windows Me & 98
The Properties dialog box includes the following settings or data:
•
Card design settings, such as landscape or portrait orientation and print blocking pattern
•
Print ribbon type
•
Magnetic stripe encoding formats and coercivity
•
Data about the printer, including the printer type
•
Port to which the printer is attached
•
Port settings for a directly networked printer
Use the Properties dialog box
Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC.
Select Start from the Windows task bar.
From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers. The Printers window appears.
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Click once on the Smart Driver™ icon. Smart Driver is the default name of the printer. The name of your printer
might be different.
Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Properties. The Smart Driver™ Properties dialog box
appears.
— If you have the Printer Toolbox open, you can click the Properties button on the Status page to open the
Properties dialog box. The General, Details, Color Management, and Sharing tabs are not displayed when
you open Properties from the Printer Toolbox.
Select the tab with the information to view or change.
— General: Shows the printer name and contains the Print Test Page button (sends a Windows test page)
— Details: Shows the port to which the printer is connected, and includes the Port Settings button for setting
up a directly networked printer
— Color Management: Allows you to load a color profile for use in image editing applications. The printer has
a color management system available through the Color Settings tab of the Printer Toolbox.
— Sharing: Allows you set up the printer for sharing over a network
— Card: Allows you to set the orientation, rotation, print blocking, print margin, and number of copies
— Graphics: Shows the print ribbon type and allows you to set ribbon initialization (For K ribbons, you can
choose the type of dithering to use. See "Set up for monochrome printing" for details.)
— Printer Info: Shows the printer type and the resettable card count. Includes the Open Printer Toolbox
button and the About Driver button.
— Mag Stripe: Shows whether a magnetic stripe option is included in the printer. If the printer includes a
magnetic stripe module, you can set the Coercivity and Encoding Format. You can also enable Magnetic
Stripe Escape Compatibility. (See "Magnetic Stripe Setup" for details.)
— Smart Card: Shows whether a smart card option is included in the printer. There are no settings. (See
"Smart card setup" for details.)
— To view help for settings, click on the What's This help button and then click the setting.
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If you make changes, click Apply to save the settings. When you are done, click OK to close the dialog box. If
you do not want to make changes, click Cancel to close the Properties dialog box.
Properties & Printing Preferences for Windows 2000 & XP
The Properties dialog box includes the following:
•
Port to which the printer is attached
•
Port settings for a directly networked printer
•
Permissions for other users of the PC
The Printing Preferences dialog box includes the following settings or data:
•
Card design settings, such as landscape or portrait orientation and print blocking pattern
•
Print ribbon type
•
Whether to apply topcoat or patch material to the front of the card, back of the card, or both
•
Magnetic stripe encoding formats and coercivity
•
Data about the printer, including the printer type
Use the Properties dialog box
Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC.
Select Start from the Windows 2000 or XP task bar.
From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers (2000) or Printers and Faxes (XP). The
Printers (and Faxes) window appears.
Click once on the Smart Driver™ icon.
Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
— To view help for the Properties dialog box, click on the help icon and then click the setting. Microsoft
provides help for Properties dialog box.
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Select the tab that contains the information you want to view or change.
— General: Shows the printer name and contains the Print Test Page button (sends a Windows test page).
— Sharing: Allows you set up the printer for sharing over a network.
— Ports: Shows the port to which the printer is connected, and includes the Port Settings button for setting up
a directly networked printer.
— Advanced: Contains the “Update Driver” button. Use the Datacard installation, not this button, to install a
more recent printer driver
— Color Management: Allows you to load a color profile for use in image editing applications. The printer has
a color management system available through the Color Settings tab of the Printer Toolbox.
— Security: Contains settings you use to grant or deny permissions to the printer for users of the PC.
— Device Settings: Contains a Windows control that does not affect the printer
If you make changes, click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box. If you do not want to make
changes, click Cancel to close the Properties dialog box.
If you change the port or change the printer name, restart Windows before printing.
Use the Printing Preferences dialog box
Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC.
Select Start from the Windows 2000 or XP task bar.
From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers (2000) or Printers and Faxes (XP). The
Printers (and Faxes) window appears.
Click once on the Smart Driver™ icon.
Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Printing Preferences. The Smart Driver™ Printing
Preferences dialog box appears.
— If you have the Printer Toolbox open, you can click the Printing Preferences button on the Status page to
open the Printing Preferences dialog box.
View or change settings.
— If the setting you want to change appears, select the setting.
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— If the setting you want to change does not appear, click the Advanced button to display the Advanced
Options dialog box.
— Click the plus sign (+) to see all selections available.
— When you click a selection, a list of choices appears next to the selection. Click the arrow on the box to see
the selections available.
— If the selections you want to use are not available (are grayed out), make sure the feature is available in the
printer. Also make sure that the printer is powered on and connected to the PC, and then resume
communication using the Printer Toolbox.
— To view help for settings, click on the What's This help button and then click any setting in the Printer
Features list. A list of settings is displayed. Select the setting for which you want help.
If you make changes, click OK on each dialog box to save the settings and close the dialog box. If you do not
want to make changes, click Cancel to close the Advanced and Printing Preferences dialog boxes.
Properties and Default Document Properties for Windows NT
The Settings that control the non-printing operation of the printer are in the Properties dialog box for the printer.
These settings include:
•
Port to which the printer is attached
•
Port settings for a direct network connection
•
Permissions for other users of the PC
•
Printer sharing
Settings that control the printing and personalization of the card are in the Default Document Properties dialog box
for the printer. These settings include:
•
Print on both sides (duplex printing)
•
Print ribbon type
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•
Card design settings, such as landscape or portrait orientation
•
Print blocking pattern
•
Whether to apply topcoat or patch material to the front of the card, back of the card, or both
•
Data about the printer, including the printer type
•
Magnetic stripe encoding format and coercivity
A network connection is the only type of connection supported by Windows NT.
Use the Properties dialog box
Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC.
Select Start from the Windows NT task bar.
From the Windows NT Start menu, select Settings and then Printers. The Printers window appears.
Click once on the Smart Driver™ icon.
Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
Select the tab that contains the information you want to view or change.
— General: Shows the printer name and contains the Print Test Page button (sends a Windows test page).
— Ports: Shows the port to which the printer is connected, and includes the Port Settings button for setting up
a directly networked printer.
— Scheduling: Allows you to schedule events.
— Sharing: Allows you set up the printer for sharing over a network.
— Security: Contains settings you use to grant or deny permissions to the printer for users of the PC.
If you make changes, click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box. If you do not want to make
changes, click Cancel to close the Properties dialog box.
If you change the port, restart Windows and power cycle the printer.
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Use the Default Document Properties dialog box
Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC.
Select Start from the Windows NT task bar.
From the Windows NT Start menu, select Settings and then Printers. The Printers window appears.
Click once on the Smart Driver™ icon.
Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Document Defaults. The Default Document Properties
dialog box appears.
— If you have the Printer Toolbox open, you can click the Document Properties button on the Status page to
open the Default Document Properties dialog box.
Select the tab that contains the information you want to view or change. On the Advanced tab, click the plus
sign (+) if needed to see all selections available. When you click a selection, choices appear in the “Change. . .“
box. Click the value you want.
If you make changes, click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box.
Changing the type of print ribbon
You can easily use a different type of print ribbon in the printer. (For example, you can change a color printer from
YMCKT to monochrome (K) ribbon.) To use a different type of ribbon, do the following:
Make sure all cards from PCs attached to the printer have finished printing.
With the printer power on and the printer communicating with the PC, open the printer cover.
Remove the ribbon cartridge and remove the existing ribbon from the cartridge.
Load the new type of ribbon on the cartridge. Make sure the ribbon is Datacard-approved for use in the SP
Series card printer you are using.
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Replace the ribbon cartridge in the printer and close the cover. When you close the cover, the printer reads the
type of ribbon installed and changes settings to match the current type of ribbon.
At each PC connected to the printer, make sure the printer and PC are communicating, and then open the
Properties or Printing Preferences dialog box. View the Ribbon Type setting. The driver communicates with the
printer to obtain the new ribbon type and will display the Ribbon Type. Close the dialog box when you confirm
that the PC shows the new Ribbon Type setting. (At the client PC for a shared printer, you must change the
setting manually.)
The PC is ready to send cards to the printer. Cards will be formatted to print with the new type of ribbon.
Set up for monochrome printing
If you print with only one color, decide whether to perform the following setup tasks:
•
Adapt your card design to use the ribbon saver feature
•
Change the print intensity to optimize printing of features such as bar codes or small text.
Using Ribbon Saver
Several colors of monochrome (single-color) print ribbon are available for the SP Series printer. A roll of ribbon
prints 1500 or more images. The Ribbon Saver feature is enabled by Datacard-certified monochrome ribbons.
Ribbon Saver increases the number of cards printed with each roll of ribbon.
The printer begins using ribbon at a location that corresponds to the leading edge of the card. With Ribbon Saver,
the printer continues to spool ribbon for the length of the image but no farther. (The printer leaves a small margin
between each card to avoid image overlap.)
Without Ribbon Saver, the printer spools ribbon for the length of the card.
You can adapt your card design to take advantage of the Ribbon Saver feature. For example, the following card
does not make best use of the ribbon saver feature while the card shown above saves more ribbon.
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Changing the print intensity
When you use Datacard monochrome ribbons, the printer identifies the ribbon and changes internal values for
optimal printing of a range of card features. (For example, the printer uses slightly different values to print with
black ribbon than with red ribbon.) However, your card requirements might be different. For example, your card
might include a bar code and you might want to change print intensity to produce the most readable bar codes.
Consider changing the print intensity in the following situations:
•
You use infrared bar code readers. Bar codes often are most readable when printed with lower intensity.
•
You print using a small font size. Small characters often print better when printed with higher intensity.
•
The settings were changed previously and you want to return settings to the default.
See "Changing settings in the printer" for steps to follow.
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Color settings
Use the Color Settings page to fine-tune the printed appearance of your cards. Color settings affect how the printer
driver prepares card data to send to the printer, so the changes to color settings affect only the cards sent from the
PC on which you make the changes.
Changing the color settings
Settings that you can change include brightness, contrast, sharpness, and the balance of red, green and blue.
When you change color settings, all the colored features (such as photos, logos, and text) on the card change.
For some settings and operating systems, the brightness, contrast, and sharpness will affect dithered images. The
following table indicates the operating systems and settings for which dithering can be affected:
Operating system
Dithering setting
Dithering affected?
Windows 98 or Me
Course
No
Windows 98 or Me
Error diffusion
Yes
Windows 2000 or XP
(not available)
Yes
Windows NT
(not available)
No
You must change color settings at the PC sending the card. If a PC is connected to the printer through a
network, changing color settings at the administrative or host PC will not change color settings at any client or
user PCs.
Open the Color Settings page
Double-click on the printer Printer Toolbox icon. The Printer Toolbox appears.
Click the Color Settings tab to display the Color Settings page and the color image preview.
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The page displays the current settings. For all settings, a value of 0 (zero) is equal to no change.
What should I do before changing color settings?
Set up your card design, using your ID software. Make sure that you use all the data you plan to print in the
design, such as a logo, a photo, text, and a bar code. You can use one sample card or a set (batch) of sample
cards.
If you use photos, choose one or more photos that are similar to all the photos you plan to use.
Determine the priority and requirements for changing color settings. Color settings affect the complete card and
cannot be used to change just one part of the card.
Consider the use of a graphics application to change one part of a card if needed. For example, if the color of
the logo is not acceptable when the appearance of photos is best, consider changing the color of the logo using
a graphics application.
Load the cards you plan to use in the card cartridge. Card stock can have a big impact on the appearance of
printed cards.
Make one or more sample cards with the current settings. The card provides a way to record current settings
and to evaluate the effect of changed settings. Do one of the following:
— In the ID software, send the sample card(s) to print.
— Click the Print Sample Card button.
Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card(s) with a 1 and the date. If you printed the sample card
from the Color Settings tab, the current settings are printed on the card. If you printed the sample card from the
ID software, record all settings on the Color Settings page.
How do I change the preview image?
You must have a 24-bit-per-pixel bitmap image on your hard drive to use as the preview image. Use an image
editing application to convert the image, if needed.
With the Color Settings page open, click the Choose Preview button.
The Open dialog box appears. “Files of Type” is set to .bmp and cannot be changed.
Browse for file you want to use for the color preview.
When you have found the image, click the file and then click the Open button.
The new image is scaled to fit the preview area.
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Tips for success
•
The color preview will change as you change settings.
•
The driver displays a message if you select a bitmap that does not meet requirements.
•
The current settings on the Color Settings page are printed on the card, along with the preview image you
choose, when you click the Print Sample Card button on the Color Settings page.
•
The color preview changes back to the default image when you leave the Color Settings page.
•
The aspect ratio of the bitmap does not change and the bitmap cannot be rotated or scaled (in the preview
popup).
•
You can use a graphics editing program to make changes to the bitmap, if needed, to make it work as a color
preview.
How do I choose the correct order for changing color settings?
First, decide whether you want to use the printer’s automatically installed color profile. The printer’s color profile
assumes colors on the cards are adjusted from the input device to the Windows default profile, and adjusts
from the Windows profile to the printer’s color profile.
To use the printer’s color profile, choose Match Monitor. (Most monitors do not use a color profile.) If you do not
use the color profile, the driver applies other settings to card data sent from the application.
Change the Brightness setting, if needed.
Change the Contrast setting, if needed.
Change the Sharpness setting, if needed.
Change the Color Balance settings, if needed.
How do I make photos brighter?
After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Brightness box.
Drag the slider to the new position.
Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
Print a sample card, using the same method as you used in "What should I do before changing color settings?"
— In the ID software, print one or more sample cards.
— Click the Print Sample Card button to print a card.
Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
— If you printed the sample card from the Color Settings tab, the current settings are printed on the card.
— If you printed the sample card from the ID software, record the new Brightness setting on the card.
Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
— If the brightness is decreased all the way, the white color in a card might become slightly darker.
Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
How do I change the contrast?
After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Contrast box.
Drag the pointer to the new position. Move to the right to increase the contrast.
Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
Print a sample card. (Use the same method as you used in "What should I do before changing color settings?".)
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— In the ID software, print one or more sample cards.
— Click the Print Sample Card button to print a card.
Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
— If you printed the sample card from the Color Settings tab, the current settings are printed on the card.
— If you printed the sample card from the ID software, record the new Contrast setting on the card.
Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
How do I make the dark colors darker and the light colors lighter?
After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Contrast box.
Drag the slider to the new position. Move it to the right to increase the difference between light and dark colors.
Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
Print a sample card, using the same method as you used previously.
— In the ID software, print one or more sample cards.
— Click the Print Sample Card button to print a card.
Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
— If you printed the sample card from the Color Settings tab, the current settings are printed on the card.
— If you printed the sample card from the ID software, record the new Contrast setting on the card.
Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
How do I make the printed cards less fuzzy?
After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Sharpness box.
Drag the slider to the new position. Drag the slider to the right to increase sharpness.
Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
Print a sample card, using the same method as you used previously.
— In the ID software, print one or more sample cards.
— Click the Print Sample Card button to print a card.
Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
— If you printed the sample card from the Color Settings tab, the current settings are printed on the card.
— If you printed the sample card from the ID software, record the new Sharpness setting on the card.
Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
How do I improve the color of my logo?
Evaluate the problem, such as “The logo has a yellow cast” or “The logo is reddish.”
If most of the card prints with the correct colors, consider using a graphics application to change the logo or
other part of the card that needs color improvement.
After making a sample card, click on the pointer for the color that is a problem.
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Drag the pointer to the new position.
If changing the color that appears to be a problem does not fix the situation, try changing the other two colors.
For example, if the logo is too red, try changing green and blue to bring red into balance.
Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
Print a sample card, using the same method as you used previously.
— In the ID software, print one or more sample cards.
— Click the Print Sample Card button to print a card.
Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
— If you printed the sample card from the Color Settings tab, the current settings are printed on the card.
— If you printed the sample card from the ID software, record the new Color Balance settings on the card.
Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
— If the color balance is increased all the way, the white color in a card might become slightly darker.
10 Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
How do I make my photo colors more lifelike?
After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Contrast box.
Drag the slider to the new position.
Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
Print a sample card, using the same method as you used previously.
— In the ID software, print one or more sample cards.
— Click the Print Sample Card button to print a card.
Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
— If you printed the sample card from the Color Settings tab, the current settings are printed on the card.
— If you printed the sample card from the ID software, record the new Contrast setting on the card.
Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
How do I undo color changes?
If you want to remove all color changes and set all controls to 0, click the Restore Defaults button.
Click the Apply changes button.
You will use the default color settings.
How do I use a different color profile?
You must have another color profile to use.
Make a sample card. The card provides a way to record current settings and to evaluate the effect of changed
settings. Do one of the following:
— In the ID software, send the sample card(s) to print.
— Click the Print Sample Card button.
Open the Printer Toolbox.
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Click the Color Settings tab and make sure the Match Monitor setting is clear.
Click the Apply Changes button, if necessary.
Print a sample card. (Use the same method as you used in step 1.)
— In the ID software, print one or more sample cards.
— Click the Print Sample Card button to print a card.
Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps) and
clear the Match Monitor check box.
Use the Color Management Tab of the Printer Properties dialog box to load a color profile. See Windows Help
for more information. The Smart Driver™ CD-ROM contains a color profile (SP_Prof.icc) for SP printers.
Continue with changing any other color settings.
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Changing settings in the printer
This section describes the settings in the printer that you might want to change. These settings can be used to
customize the performance of the printer to meet the demands of your card design. This section contains:
"Process for changing settings"
"Change printing intensity"
"Fine-tune edge-to-edge printing"
"Change laminator settings (SP75 only)"
Tips for success
•
You must use a PC to which the printer is directly connected to change operational settings (locally attached or
directly networked). You cannot change operational settings from a client PC using shared printing.
•
Your service provider can guide you in making settings that will meet your specific needs.
•
Printer settings should be changed only by someone familiar with the operation of the printer and with
Windows. Allow enough time to perform all steps of the procedures to achieve the card quality desired.
•
If this information does not result in the print quality that you want, contact your service provider for assistance.
You can work with the following settings:
•
Printing intensity: You can fine-tune the appearance and function of cards you print by changing the intensity
used to print black (K) and topcoat (T) panels. Intensity affects the thickness of letters and bar codes–higher
intensity prints thicker letter or bar codes. Use the Printhead tab of the Printer Toolbox to change the printing
intensity.
•
Fine-tune edge-to-edge printing: You can change where the printing is positioned on the card. When you
select “Edge to edge” as the Print Margin value, you should set the Leading Edge for best appearance and
smooth operation. (Print Margin is set in the Printing Preferences, Properties, or Document Default Properties
dialog box.) You can also change the position of printing to address card quality concerns. Use the Edge to
edge tab of the Printer Toolbox to fine-tune where printing occurs on the card.
•
Laminator settings, for SP75: You can change the laminator temperature and speed for applying topcoat or
patch material to obtain the best results with your card stock and material. You can also change where the
leading edge of the card and material meet to obtain the best results with your cards. Use the Laminator
Advanced tab of the Printer Toolbox to fine-tune settings for the laminator.
Process for changing settings
This section contains several procedures which help you make specific changes to settings. All of the procedures
use the following basic steps. This overview can help you prepare for the specific processes that follow.
Materials to use
•
Print ribbon that you plan to use when producing cards.
•
Blank cards, for making “test cards” before and after changing settings. If you will be making printer test cards
and the printer includes a magnetic stripe module, make sure the magnetic stripe test cards and the printer
have the same coercivity.
•
For the SP75 printer, patch or topcoat material (or both) that you plan to use when producing cards.
•
Permanent marker (for recording data on cards) or a pen (if you record data on paper).
•
Paper and tape, if you want to create log pages. A log page has “test cards” taped to it with corresponding data
(such as setting values) written on the page. Only one side of the card is visible when it is taped to the log page,
but you can write more information on a log page than on a test card or sample card.
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Suggested process
Make sure the printer is powered on and is directly connected to the PC.
Identify the setting to change and the result you want. (Stating the desired result in a measurable way can help
you identify when you have met your goal.)
Make a test card (or sample card) and record the current values for the setting to change. Also record the date
and sequence number (beginning with 1). Use the same test or sample card at each step.
Change the setting and apply the change.
Make another test or sample card. Record the new setting and sequence number.
Evaluate the result on the card.
— If the result meets the goal, you have completed the process.
— If the result does not meet the goal, return to step 4. Repeat steps 4, 5, and 6 until you meet the stated goal.
— If you have repeated the steps several times but are not making progress toward the stated goal, consider
whether the goal is possible and whether changing this setting will lead to the goal. Return to the settings
recorded in step 1.
Change printing intensity
Make sure the Printer Toolbox is open. Double-click the icon in the system tray if needed.
Select the Advanced Setup button on the Printer Toolbox.
— The printer driver changes from printing mode to Advanced Setup mode, and additional tabs appear on the
Printer Toolbox.
Click the Printhead tab to display the Printhead page.
— The driver obtains the values from the printer when the window opens. If the values were not available and
the “Printer not responding” message appears, click the Retry button. The printhead values must be
available to continue.
Click the Printer Test Card button to print a test card that serves as a baseline for the changes you make.
Mark the back of the test card with “1” and the intensity setting that you plan to change. For example, mark it “1K 0” if you plan to change the intensity for black (K) and the current value is 0.
To change the printhead intensity:
Select the Printing Power: Monochrome (K) for monochrome ribbon or panel; Topcoat for the topcoat panel.
The slider moves to the location that matches the current value and the current value appears.
b Move the slider:
— You can use the mouse or the arrow keys (← →) to move the slider.
— Move to the right to increase the power. Printing on the card will appear darker. If you selected the
topcoat panel type, the degree of coverage increases. If intensity is too high, the print ribbon will wrinkle
or break (or both), especially at the end of a panel.
— Move to the left to decrease the power. Printing on the card will appear lighter and ribbon is less likely to
break.
— Decrease the intensity for the topcoat only if the ribbon is melting when applying the topcoat.
Decreasing the intensity reduces the degree of coverage of the topcoat. Topcoat can affect the
durability of the image, and the degree of coverage can be difficult to detect.
Select the Apply Changes button to make the values take effect in the printer, OR select the Cancel
Changes button to return to the values displayed before you used the slider.
— The “Changes saved to printer” message appears when the values have been saved to the printer.
Select the Printer Test Card button.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
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Mark the card on the back with a 2 (or the next sequence number if repeating these steps) and the new settings
(such as K -20 for K intensity).
Evaluate the result as shown on the printed card.
— If the new setting has solved the problem, you can select another value to change or quit Advanced Setup.
— If the new setting has not solved the problem, return to step 5 and repeat the process.
— If the new setting has made the problem worse, return to step 6 and move the slider to the intensity value
for the selected panel type written on card 1.
10 When you are done running Advanced Setup, choose the Status tab and then click the Quit Advanced Setup
button to enable printing.
If you have entered Advanced Setup and selected the Close button in any tab of the Printer Toolbox, the driver
quits Advanced Setup for you.
Fine-tune edge-to-edge printing
Tips for success
•
Make small changes in settings to avoid breaking the print ribbon.
•
You can use the mouse or the arrow keys (< >) to move the slider.
•
If you have selected “Edge to edge” as the Print Margin value and you are changing the Leading Edge or
Trailing Edge setting, watch for print ribbon break messages. If you change these settings too much, the print
ribbon might break as a result. If so, return to a setting that does not break the ribbon.
•
If you have changed both Leading Edge and Trailing Edge settings and the ribbon breaks, you can determine
the setting that is probably causing the break by looking at where the ribbon is broken. Change the Leading
edge setting if the break is at the beginning of a ribbon panel. Change the Trailing Edge setting if the break is
near the end of a ribbon panel.
•
If you install a new printhead, you can change the Long Edges setting to center printing on the card.
Make sure the Printer Toolbox is open. Double-click the icon in the system tray if needed.
Select the Edge To Edge tab on the Printer Toolbox.
Click the Print Sample Card button to print a card that serves as a baseline for the changes you make.
Mark the back of the card with “1.” Also mark the position change you plan to make. Finally, mark the current
values, such as 13/50/-1 for the Leading Edge, Trailing Edge, and Long Edges values.
Select and move the slider for the setting you want to change.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
23
Select the Apply Changes button to make the values take effect in the printer, OR select the Cancel Changes
button to return to the values displayed before you used the slider.
— The “Changes saved to printer” message appears when the values have been saved to the printer.
Select the Print Sample Card button.
Mark the card on the back with a 2 (or the next sequence number if repeating these steps) and the new settings
(such as 18/50/-1).
Evaluate the result as shown on the printed card.
— If the new setting has solved the problem, you can select another value to change or be done.
— If the new setting has not solved the problem, return to step 5 and repeat the process.
— If the new setting has made the problem worse, return to step 5 and move the slider to the value for the print
position written on card 1.
Change laminator settings (SP75 only)
Change the temperature or speed used to apply patch or topcoat material to cards if needed to improve card
quality. Change the Supply registration, Card registration, or Apply length to fine-tune the placement of material on
the card.
Tips for success
•
These steps apply only to an SP75 printer, which includes one or two laminators.
•
Begin with the printer connected to the PC and powered on.
•
Make small changes in settings to avoid breaking the laminator material.
•
You can use the mouse or the arrow keys (><) to move the slider.
•
Do not change laminator settings unless requested to do so by your Datacard®-authorized service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
24
Make sure the Printer Toolbox is open. Double-click the icon in the system tray if needed.
Choose the Advanced Setup button on the Printer Toolbox.
The printer driver changes from printing mode to Advanced Setup mode and different tabs appear on the
Printer Toolbox.
Click the Laminator–Advanced tab. A prompt reminds you to use this page only with the guidance of your
Datacard-authorized service provider.
Click OK on the prompt to display the tab.
— The driver obtains the values from the printer when the window opens, which can require a minute or more.
If the values were not available and the “Printer not responding” message appears, click the Retry button.
The laminator values must be available to continue.
— The type of material loaded in the L1 laminator appears.
If the printer has two laminators, choose the location for which you want to make changes. If you choose
Laminator 2, the type of material loaded in the L2 laminator appears.
Click the Printer Test Card button to print a test card that serves as a baseline for the changes you make.
Mark the back of the test card with “1.” Also mark the change you plan to make. Finally, mark the current option
settings, such as Temp 160 and Speed 150.
Click the value to change. The slider moves to the position for the current setting and the current setting value
appears.
— Temperature: Increase temperature to improve how well the material adheres to the card. Decrease the
temperature if the cards frequently jam after the material is applied. Your Datacard®-authorized service
provider can provide specific guidance for your situation.
— Speed: Decrease the speed to improve how well the material adheres to the card. Your Datacard®authorized service provider can provide specific guidance for your situation.
For patch material and registered holographic topcoat material, the following also appears:
SP Series Info Central: Setup
25
— Supply Registration: Move the slider to the right if the supply material (or holographic image) is too far
from the leading edge of the card. Move the slider to the left if the supply material is too close or over the
leading edge of the card.
— Card Registration: Move the slider to the right to move the leading edge of the card closer to the roller that
applies the material. Move the slider to the left to move the leading edge of the card farther from the roller.
— Apply Length: Move the slider to the right to keep the roller in contact with the card and supply material for
a longer distance or period of time. Move the slider to the left to shorten the distance (or time) the roller
applies pressure to the card and material.
10 Move the slider for the value to the new position. The Current Setting box shows the new value.
— Make small changes to a setting. If the change does not fix the problem, repeat the steps to make an
additional change.
11 Select the Apply Changes button to send the setting to the printer. Only the current setting is sent.
12 When the changes are saved, the "Changes saved to the printer" message appears.
13 Select the Printer Test Card button.
14 Mark the card on the back with a 2 (or the next sequence number if repeating these steps) and the new settings
(such as Temp 164).
15 Evaluate the new test card. If the problem is fixed, continue with these steps. If the problem remains, return to
step 10.
16 When you are done running Advanced Setup, click the Status tab and then click the Quit Advanced Setup
button to enable printing.
— If you have entered Advanced Setup and click the Close button in any tab of the Printer Toolbox, the driver
quits Advanced Setup for you.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
26
Customizing blocking regions
You can customize blocking areas, which is useful if your software does not include this capability. A print blocking
area prevents color and monochrome printing in the blocked area. A topcoat blocking area prevents the application
of topcoat (applied using the printhead) in the blocked area. This feature is available on Windows 2000 and
Windows XP only.
About customized blocking
The driver Printing Preferences dialog box provides specific blocking choices. The pre-defined blocking choices
allow you to prevent topcoat from being applied to the full card, or to prevent printing and topcoat application over a
smart card chip, 2-track magnetic stripe, 3-track magnetic stripe, or an NTT-format magnetic stripe. The same
choices are available for the front and the back of the card. When you select one of these blocking choices, the
driver removes the data from the area you select before sending card data to the printer.
For some card designs, you might want a blocking region that does not match an available choice. For example,
you might want to avoid printing over a signature panel, you might want to block topcoat where you plan to apply
scratch-off ribbon, or you might want to simulate a hologram by blocking topcoat using a graphic image (such as a
logo). To permit you to select the blocking area you need, the driver includes a “User defined bitmap” choice. When
you select this choice, the driver uses one or more bitmap files with a specific file name to block printing, topcoat, or
both. You need to modify the correct file to customize the blocking area. This section includes instructions for
selecting the correct file and for modifying the file using a graphics editing application.
Datacard strongly recommends that you do not create a bitmap for customized blocking. Instead, modify the
Datacard-provided files to work with your card design. The file must meet very specific requirements, and starting
with Datacard-provided files can more quickly result in success.
Blocking choices
To create customized blocking, you choose a “User-defined blocking ...” choice in Printing Preferences and modify
one or more files that correspond to the card orientation and the blocking choice(s) you made. The size of a card is
3.37 inches (85.6 mm.) by 2.125 inches (53.98 mm.) with a 3/16 or 0.32 inch (8 mm.) corner radius. The printer
prints at 300 dots per inch (dpi), and the bitmap has a resolution of 300 dpi. The dimensions of the card in dot per
inch (pixels) are 1013 by 638.
The bitmap is not a full-color bitmap; it is a one-bit-per-pixel black and white bitmap. (Only a black and white bitmap
can be used; grayscale or color bitmaps will cause the card to print without blocking.) The white area(s) of the
bitmap are the blocking areas and the black areas of the bitmap are where printing and/or topcoat application will
occur.
The files are:
File name
Dimensions (Height by Width)
Comments
LandscapeBlockPrintFront.bmp
1013 by 638 pixels
3.37 by 2.125 inches
85.6 by 53.98 mm.
Blocks printing on the front of a
card with landscape orientation.
LandscapeBlockPrintBack.bmp
1013 by 638 pixels
3.37 i by 2.125 inches
85.6 by 53.98 mm.
Blocks printing on the back of a
card with landscape orientation.
LandscapeBlockTopcoatFront.bmp
1013 by 638 pixels
3.37 i by 2.125 inches
85.6 by 53.98 mm.
Blocks topcoat on the front of a
card with landscape orientation.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
27
File name
Dimensions (Height by Width)
Comments
LandscapeBlockTopcoatBack.bmp
1013 by 638 pixels
3.37 by 2.125 inches
85.6 by 53.98 mm.
Blocks topcoat on the back of a
card with landscape orientation.
PortraitBlockPrintFront.bmp
638 by 1013 pixels
2.125 by 3.37 inches
53.98 by 85.6 mm.
Blocks printing on the front of a
card with portrait orientation.
PortraitBlockPrintBack.bmp
638 by 1013 pixels
2.125 by 3.37 inches
53.98 by 85.6 mm.
Blocks printing on the back of a
card with portrait orientation.
PortraitBlockTopcoatFront.bmp
638 by 1013 pixels
2.125 by 3.37 inches
53.98 by 85.6 mm.
Blocks topcoat on the front of a
card with portrait orientation.
PortraitBlockTopcoatBack.bmp
638 by 1013 pixels
2.125 by 3.37 inches
53.98 by 85.6 mm.
Blocks topcoat on the back of a
card with portrait orientation.
Each bitmap has a sample image, to help you understand the orientation when you open it. See "Setting a
customized blocking area" for the steps to follow when changing one of these bitmaps.
If the side of the card for which you want customized blocking includes more than one blocking area, you need to
create all blocking areas in the bitmap file. Datacard ID Works® ID software allows you to specify the following
SP Series Info Central: Setup
28
blocking regions and you do not need to add them to the blocking bitmap. The following table provides the starting
points and dimensions for the blocking areas of standard card features.
Feature
Starting pointa
widthb
heightc
Smart Card Chip,
Landscape Orientation
55, 158 pixels
0.18, 0.53 inch
4.6, 13.5 mm
236 pixels
0.79 inch
20.1 mm
225 pixels
0.75 inch
19.1 mm
Smart Card Chip,
Portrait Orientation
255, 55 x pixels
0.85, 0.18 inch
21.6, 4.6 mm
225 pixels
0.75 inch
19.1 mm
236 pixels
0.79 inch
20.1 mm
3-track magnetic stripe,
Landscape Orientation
0, 0 pixels
0.0 inch
0.0 mm
1013 pixels
3.37 inch
85.6 mm
198 pixels
0.66 inch
16.8 mm
2-track magnetic stripe,
Landscape Orientation
0, 0 pixels
0.0 inch
0.0 mm
1013 pixels
3.37 inch
85.6 mm
162 pixels
0.55 inch
14.0 mm
NTT magnetic stripe,
Landscape Orientation
0, 0 pixels
0.0 inch
0.0 mm
1013 pixels
3.37 inch
85.6 mm
156 pixels
0.52 inch
13.2 mm
a.
b.
c.
From upper left corner of the card
Distance from starting point toward right edge of the card
Distance from starting point toward to lower edge of the card
Blocking typically extends 0.1 inch (2.5 mm) beyond the edges of a feature. When you create a customized
blocking area, you must extend the blocking area for raised features (if you use them). The table of features
includes the extended blocking region. For features that are not raised, such as an area for applying scratch-off
ribbon, you will have more predictable results if you extend the blocking area.
Tips for success
•
You should be familiar with editing graphics to modify the blocking bitmap. If you are not comfortable editing the
graphic, obtain the assistance of your Datacard®-approved service provider or a graphics professional.
•
To edit the graphic, you need to have write permission to hidden, operating system folders. Choose Control
Panel and then Users to set permissions for the user. Search for “User permissions” in Windows help for details
on setting permissions. The user must also be able to view hidden operating system folders and files. Choose
Tools and then Folder Options in My Computer or Windows Explorer to change view options.
•
The purpose of topcoat is to protect the printed image on the card. Any area with color printing will eventually
fade if it lacks protection. Make sure that most printing is covered with topcoat. Do not leave large printed areas
without topcoat unless you will be applying additional protection, such as a patch (using an SP75 printer with
laminator).
•
Plan to produce several test cards to verify that blocking works correctly on the range of cards you will produce.
•
You might want to copy the Datacard-provided blocking bitmaps to a second location so you can start over with
editing if needed. If you will include a graphic image, save the graphic image file with a new name before
modifying it to work with a blocking bitmap. You can delete the extra files after you have successfully completed
customization. Finally, you might want to save a copy of the completed blocking graphic in a second location in
case you want to restore it at a later time.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
29
•
If you plan to include an existing graphic image in the blocking bitmap, make sure the graphics editing
application can perform all the functions you need. Typically, begin with a file that includes the image, reduce
the colors of the image to two colors, and scale the image to occupy that area of the card you have chosen.
•
If you use Datacard ID Works® ID Software, the blocking you specify in the ID software is combined with userdefined blocking.
Setting a customized blocking area
Open the printer Printing Preferences dialog box.
Click the Advanced button.
Navigate to the Print Blocking settings.
From the Print Blocking Pattern-Front or Print Blocking Pattern-Back list, choose the “User Defined Bitmap”
selection for your card design.
Click Apply to make the changes take effect.
Using a graphics program that can edit bitmaps, such as Microsoft Paint or Paint Shop Pro™, navigate to the
Windows\System32 folder, such as C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Winnt\System32.
Using a graphics application, open the file to modify. Choose one or more of the following to modify, based on
your card design:
— LandscapeBlockPrintBack.bmp
— LandscapeBlockTopcoatBack.bmp
— LandscapeBlockTopcoatFront.bmp
— LandscapeBlockPrintFront.bmp
— PortraitBlockPrintBack.bmp
— PortraitBlockTopcoatBack.bmp
— PortraitBlockPrintFront.bmp
— PortraitBlockTopcoatFront.bmp
If you are unsure of the file to choose, see "Blocking choices".
Using the controls in the graphics editing application, create the blocking area by drawing a shape or by pasting
a graphic. (Draw a black shape over the sample images to remove them.)
The following example shows a possible scratch-off area. The area was created by drawing a white rectangle
on the black bitmap. (This might be used for an area of scratch-off ribbon to cover an ID number.)
The following example shows a possible graphic to simulate a hologram.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
30
To prepare the image shown, do the following:
— Invert the colors (change the white background to black and the black image to white).
— Scale the image to occupy the appropriate area of the card.
— Copy the image and paste it in the blocking bitmap. (Do not specify “transparent” when pasting because
the white image might disappear!)
Save the file with the same name and in the same location as you found it.
10 Print sample cards using the software to verify that print or topcoat blocking meets your needs.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
31
Magnetic Stripe Setup
Do the following to set up the printer and driver to encode magnetic stripes on cards:
•
Use cards with magnetic stripes when making a magnetic stripe test card.
•
Identify the encoding format and how it will be formatted (by the application, using magnetic stripe fonts, or
using escape codes).
•
Set magnetic stripe settings using the printer driver. For more information, see "Working with Properties and
Printing Preferences".
•
Determine whether to send coercivity and encoding format data with each card or whether to set values in the
printer. Choose the "Use printer settings" in the printer driver if you set values in the printer (using Printer
Diagnostics).
•
Determine the coercivity to use. Usually, the coercivity is a system-wide decision: The magnetic stripe readers
which will read the cards encoded by the printer are likely to require a specific coercivity value. Card stock is
purchased to match that coercivity type. Set the coercivity in the printer driver.
•
Select the encoding format. If a custom format, such as Triple-IATA, is used, choose “Use Printer Coercivity” in
the printer driver.
•
Determine the order for encoding the magnetic stripe and printing. Typically, the magnetic stripe is encoded
first and then the card is printed. In some cases, a card design works most efficiently when the magnetic stripe
data is encoded, and then the reverse side of the card is printed (a duplex module is required to use this
feature). The “Print and Encode Sequence” choices allow you to choose which way to process cards. If you
choose to encode first, be sure to load cards with the magnetic stripe up and toward the right side of the printer.
•
If you will encode cards only, choose the Mag Stripe Encode Only selection in the printer driver. Also make sure
that you have not chosen duplex printing (print on both sides) and do not apply topcoat (using settings in
Properties or Printing Preferences).
•
The following table lists formatting choices available and provides information about setup:
Format
Printer
Module
Data formatted by
Data verified by
Driver format Use
setting
Diagnostics?
IAT
Three track (IAT)
ID Works
ID Works/Driver
No effect
Use printer
settings
IAT
Three track (IAT)
Magnetic Stripe Fonts
(includes Preface)
Printer
IAT
No
IAT
Three track (IAT)
Escape Codes
Printer
IAT
No
NTT
Single-track (NTT)
ID Works
ID Works/Driver
No effect
No
NTT
Single-track (NTT)
Magnetic Stripe Fonts
(includes Preface)
Printer
NTT
Coercivity
Triple IATA
Three-Track (IAT)
Single Track (NTT)
ID Works
ID Works/Driver
No effect
Yes
Three-Track (IAT)
Magnetic Stripe Fonts
(includes Preface)
Printer
Use printer
settings
Yes
Single Track (NTT)
Three-Track (IAT)
Single Track (NTT)
Some Escape Code
Formats
Printer
Use printer
settings
Yes
Triple IATA
Triple IATA
SP Series Style Guide
32
Format
Printer
Module
Data formatted by
Data verified by
Proprietary
Three-Track (IAT)
ID Works
Printer
Use printer
settings
Yes
Proprietary
Three-Track (IAT)
Magnetic Stripe Fonts
Driver
Use printer
settings
Yes
Proprietary
Three-Track (IAT)
Custom Application
Application
Use printer
settings
Yes
Custom
Three-Track (IAT)
Single Track (NTT)
Custom Application
Application
Binary or
Use printer
settings
Optional
Three-Track (IAT)
Magnetic Stripe Fonts
(includes Preface)
--
Binary or
Use printer
settings
Optional
Single Track (NTT)
Binary
Three-Track (IAT)
ID Works
ID Works
Binary
No
Binary
Three-Track (IAT)
Custom Application
Application
Binary
No
Custom
Driver format Use
setting
Diagnostics?
Tips for success
•
If you plan to use a custom magnetic stripe format, your service provider or value-added reseller (VAR) must
make changes to printer settings to set up a custom magnetic stripe format. Follow the guidance of your service
provider or VAR when using a custom magnetic stripe format.
•
Proprietary formats, used for applications such as driver’s licenses or hotels, can be used with SP Series
printers. Obtain the guidance of your service provider or value-added reseller (VAR) when using proprietary
formats.
•
On Windows 98 and Me, data formatted with magnetic stripe fonts or escape codes cannot be located in
rotated fields.
Magnetic stripe escapes
Customers have the ability to use magnetic stripe escape codes with the Smart Driver, version 5.0 and higher, and
the SP Series printer. Magnetic stripe escape codes are used by card printers from several other manufacturers.
To support existing custom applications, Datacard has implemented magnetic stripe escapes. To use magnetic
stripe escapes with the driver, a custom application must send data to the driver, not directly to the printer.
Magnetic stripe escapes can also be used when an application cannot format magnetic stripe data and when the
application does not allow you to select the driver’s magnetic stripe fonts for formatting magnetic stripe data.
Magnetic stripe escapes are most commonly used for the IAT format, which encodes IATA (International Air
Transport Association) data on Track 1, ABA (American Banker’s Association) data on Track 2, and TTS (Thrift
Third Shift) data on Track 3. Other card printer manufacturers sometimes refer to this format as ISO format. Using
information in this section, you can also use magnetic stripe escapes to encode variations to the IAT format.
Enabling magnetic stripe escapes
The Printing Preferences, Properties, or Document Defaults dialog box includes a setting to enable magnetic
stripe escapes. Enable magnetic stripe escapes on each PC that will use magnetic stripe escapes to send data to
a printer. Also, enable magnetic stripe escapes for each printer attached to a PC if you will send magnetic stripe
data to the printer.
SP Series Style Guide
33
To enable magnetic stripe escapes, do the following:
Make sure the printer power is on and the printer is connected to the PC. Also make sure that the driver is
installed on the PC and communicates with the printer.
Select Start from the Windows task bar.
From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers. The Printers (or Printers and Faxes) window
appears.
Click once on the Smart Driver icon.
Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then do the following (if you need help, see "Working with
Properties and Printing Preferences"):
— For Windows Me and 98, select Properties. The Smart Driver Properties dialog box appears.
— For Windows XP and 2000, select Printing Preferences. On the Printing Preferences dialog box, click
Advanced to display Advanced settings.
— For Windows NT, select Default Document Properties. On the Document Defaults dialog box, click
Advanced to display Advanced settings.
— If you have the Printer Toolbox open, you can click the Properties (9x), Printing Preferences (2000 and XP)
or Document Defaults (NT) button on the Status page to open the Properties, Printing Preferences
Advanced, or Document Default Properties dialog box.
Locate the Mag Stripe Escape Compatibility setting.
— On Windows 98 and Me, choose the Mag Stripe tab.
— On Windows XP, 2000 and NT, scroll through the settings list to locate the Mag Stripe Escape Compatibility
setting.
Choose Enabled for the setting.
Locate the Mag Stripe Encoding Format setting.
— If you will encode IAT (ISO) format, choose IAT for the format.
— If you will encode a variation to IAT (ISO) format, choose "Use printer settings" for the format and set using
the Printer Diagnostics utility.
Click Apply or OK to save the settings and close the dialog box.
You do not need to specify which syntax or manufacturer’s escape sequence you will use. When you enable
Mag Stripe Escape Compatibility, the Smart Driver will recognize any of the escape character sequences listed
in this section.
Using magnetic stripe escapes
To use magnetic stripe escapes, do the following:
•
Use an application in which you can enter and save text, and then edit it after saving.
•
Before the magnetic stripe data, provide the escape sequence, such as ~1 or ~1% . The rest of the line of text
will be encoded, up to an End Sentinel (if the syntax uses one).
•
Use a Return or Enter keystroke to end a line.
•
Do not allow text to wrap to two lines. The text on the second line will print on the card.
•
You might be able to send two lines of text to one track. Each line of text must begin with the escape sequence.
Test cards made with this method to see whether the lines are encoded in the order in which the lines appear
on the page. Some applications do not support this method or produce unpredictable results.
•
Text to print can be on the same line as data to encode, but must be located before the escape sequence.
•
Only one track can be encoded per line of text.
SP Series Style Guide
34
•
Magnetic stripe data will be converted to uppercase (capital) letters if necessary.
•
If you include not-allowed characters within the magnetic stripe data, the printer will beep and a message will
be displayed on the PC.
•
The driver does not check the data you send. (The printer checks the data.) This is the same behavior as
magnetic stripe fonts.
On Windows 98, 98 SE, and Me, data formatted with escape codes cannot be located in rotated fields.
Printer
Manufacturer
Encoding
Format
Syntax
Example
Eltron
IAT (ISO)
~
~1ENCODING WITH ESCAPES
~21234567890
~31234567890
Atlantek
IAT (ISO)
~=
~1=ENCODING WITH ESCAPES
~2=1234567890
~3=1234567890
Fargo
IAT (ISO)
~(Start Sentinel>

~1%ENCODING WITH ESCAPES?
~2;1234567890?
~3;1234567890?
Datacard HiFX
IAT (ISO)
~(Start Sentinel>

~1%ENCODING WITH ESCAPES?
~2;1234567890?a
~3;1234567890?a
Victor Data
Systems
IAT (ISO)
~(Start Sentinel>

~1%ENCODING WITH ESCAPES?
~2;1234567890? a
~3;1234567890? a
a) Only the default start sentinel, a semicolon (;), is permitted.
For information about the characters allowed for each track format, see the following section. For more information
about requirements for using escapes, see the documentation for the original printer.
IATA, ABA, and TTS character sets
The IAT encoding format selection for the SP35 printer encodes IATA data on track 1, ABA data on track 2, and
TTS data on track 3. This meets the requirements of the ISO standard.
IATA (International Air Transport Association)
The maximum field length for IATA format is 76 characters. IATA allows spaces, upper case alphabetic characters,
numeric characters, and the following special characters:
!#$%'()*+,-./;:<@>=^]\["&_
ABA (American Bankers Association)
The maximum field length for ABA format is 37 characters. ABA allows numeric characters and the following
special characters:
:;<=>
SP Series Style Guide
35
TTS (Thrift Third Standard)
The maximum field length for TTS format is 104 characters. TTS allows numeric characters and the following
special characters:
:;<=>
NTT character set
The maximum field length for NTT (Nippon Telephone & Telegraph) format is 69 characters. NTT allows spaces,
numeric characters, upper case alphabetic characters, lower case alphabetic characters, and special characters.
From a PC running a Japanese edition of a supported Windows operating system, NTT also supports 55 Katakana
characters.
The special characters include:
!"#$%&'()*+,-./:;<=>?@[ ]^_`{|}~
and the following Japanese-language special characters: (a Japanese edition of a supported Windows operating
system is required.)
The 55 Katakana characters include the following 45 Katakana characters:
and the following 10 Katakana characters:
Each time you start using Japanese-language characters, or stop using them, the driver adds a hidden character.
Each hidden character reduces by one the number of characters you can encode.
SP Series Style Guide
36
Magnetic Stripe settings used by the printer
The following table presents technical details that apply to encoding magnetic stripe data.
IATA
ABA
TTS
NTT
Binary
Character Differential
32
48
48
Start Sentinel (SS)
(ASCII character)
% (37)
; (59)
; (59)
127
None
End Sentinel (ES)
(ASCII character)
? (63)
? (63)
? (63)
127
None
Lowest ASCII Character
space
(32)
0 (48)
0 (48)
(1)
Highest ASCII Character
_ (95)
? (63)
? (63)
(126)
255
Character-level parity
(VRC)
Odd
Odd
Odd
Even
None
Cumulative parity (LRC)
Even
Even
Even
Even
None
Density in bits per inch
210
75
210
210
210
Data bits per character
Maximum number of
encodable characters (not
including start and end
sentinel or LRC)
76
37
104
69
33
Encoding direction
SS first
SS first
SS first
SS last
SS first
SP Series Style Guide
37
Smart card setup
This section presents information about how to set up a system if you are personalizing smart cards. Smart card
processing is different from other types of personalization, because the “smart card” step of personalization is
controlled by an application (or application module) that is different from the rest of card personalization.
The data for smart card personalization is sent from the smart card application using a separate smart card cable.
Requirements
To personalize a smart card, you need to obtain or create the following:
•
A direct local connection between the printer and the PC
•
Smart card reader (coupler) in the printer OR a contact station in the printer plus an external reader
•
A smart card cable for each smart card port used
•
Card application that is customized to work with the SP Series printer and the smart card application (using the
Smart Driver™ SDK or an application such ID Works with the Smart Card Application Manager)
•
Smart card application (which uses the SDK for the smart card and reader type)
•
Smart cards that work with the reader in the printer
Smart card codes on the printer label
The printer label includes codes to identify the type and model of smart card module installed in the printer. The
model(s) of reader available might change and additional models might become available. (SP35 printers might
have identifiers that describe the reader, such as SC430.)
SP Series Info Central: Setup
38
If the printer contains a smart card module, the printer label will include “SC” and three numbers. Each digit in the
number represents a different part of the code. The following table lists the codes used on the printer label.
Code
Components
SC110
GemPC 430
SC120
GemPC USB
SC201
GemPlus 680
SC202
HID
SC203
Casi
SC204
Indala
SC205
iCLASS
SC321
GemPC USB and GemPlus 680
SC345
SCM DI331 (contact) & iCLASS (contactless)
SC347
SCM DI331 (contact and contactless)
SC400
Contact station
If the codes on your printer label do not match any codes presented in this section and you do not know the type of
smart card reader installed in the printer, contact your service provider who can obtain the most recent codes from
the Partner Page.
Obtaining smart card support files
Obtain files to support the smart card reader:
•
Typically, the developer of the smart card application will download smart card support files and provide them
as part of smart card installation and setup.
•
Many driver files are delivered in a compressed ZIP file. If the files you download have a file extension of .ZIP
and you do not have WinZip of a similar application to extract files, you must obtain it to continue. WinZip is
available for download and purchase at www.download.com or www.downloads-zdnet.com.com.
•
If the reader name includes SCM, obtain files from the Support/PC Security area of the SCM Microsystems
Web site at scmmicro.com/support. Scroll through the Product Drivers list and download the Windows PC/SC
drivers for RFID readers and the Windows PC/SC installer, which includes Windows Smart Card Base
Components and an SCM utility for use with the SCM reader. (You must click “Accept” on the license
SP Series Info Central: Setup
39
agreement popup before downloading is allowed. Enable pop-ups and cookies temporarily if needed to enable
the license agreement popup.) Unzip the “Installer” file and install the utility before proceeding.
•
If the reader name includes "GemPC," go to the Gemplus Web site at www.gemplus.com to obtain files.
Choose the Support area of the Gemplus Web site, and then downloads for PC-Link readers. Choose the
reader installed in your printer and the operating system used by the PC, and download the files. Also
download or print the readme.txt file that applies to your reader and operating system. See "Hardware set up"
for installation.
•
You can also download the Gemplus SmartDiag utility at www.gemplus.com.
•
If the reader is a GemPlus 680, files to support a contactless reader are available from the Downloads area of
www.datacard.com on the Utilities page. The zip file you download will include instructions. On some PCs, you
also need to install Windows Smart Card Base Components, which are available in the Support folder of the
Smart Driver™ CD-ROM. See "Hardware set up" for installation.
•
If the reader type is HID, Casi, iCLASS or Indala, the files to support the reader are installed by Windows. For
Windows 2000, Me, and 98SE, use the Windows installation CD-ROM to install the files. (Windows XP includes
the files on the PC.)
Go to the RF IDeas Web site at www.rfideas.com/html/downloads.html to obtain the configuration utility to
support your card reader. (Note: File names are subject to change.) Download the utility for your reader:
— For HID®, CASI®, and Indala™ card readers, download the pcProxConfig.exe file.
— For iCLASS™ card readers, download the RFID1356i-Config.exe file.
•
If a contact station is installed, obtain driver files from the supplier or manufacturer of the external reader.
•
If the printer has a combo smart card module, obtain files for each type of reader included.
•
The PC must include Windows Smart Card Base Components, such as the system files winscard.dll and
smclib.vxd. You can install the base components using the scbase.exe installation program located in the
Support Folder of the Smart Driver CD-ROM.
•
After the Windows Smart Card Base Components are installed, the smart card service must be configured to
run automatically. See Windows Help for “configure service” for the steps to follow.
Hardware set up
Make sure the printer driver has been installed and that the printer produces a sample card before setting up the
smart card module.
A printer with a smart card module has one or two additional ports.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
40
•
If the printer has a USB smart card port, follow these guidelines:
— The USB cable must be a type CM 30V cable, up to a maximum of 6.5 feet or 2 meters long. A longer cable
might result in electrical interference.
— For best security, connect the printer USB smart card port directly to the PC port without using other USB
devices, which might permit access to the smart card data.
— For SCM readers, do the following:
— Make sure you have installed the utility from the “installer” zip file, which includes the Windows Smart
Card Base Components (needed to permit driver installation.)
— Right-click the SCR331DI_drv4.30s.zip file and choose “Extract All” from the popup list. Follow the
wizard to extract all files. The wizard opens an explorer window showing two folders labeled by
operating system.
— At this time, connect the smart card USB port on the printer to a USB port on the PC.
— The New Hardware wizard appears. (On some PCs two wizards might appear--one for the contact
reader and one for the contactless reader. Choose the for the SCR331DI contact reader.
— Choose to install files from a specific location and browse to the SCR331DI_drv4.30s folder and then
the folder for your operating system. Choose the S331DI9X (For Windows 98, SE, and Me) or
S331DI2K (for Windows XP or 2000) file and continue to follow the wizard to install the driver.
— After installing the SCR331-DI USB smart card reader, Windows displays the New Hardware wizard for
the SCR331-DI Contactless reader. Repeat the process for this reader, choosing the S331DICL file in
the wizard.
— The Windows XP operating system includes support for GemPC contact smart card readers and for HID,
Casi, iCLASS and Indala contactless readers. The files will be installed automatically when you connect the
SP Series Info Central: Setup
41
USB smart card port to the PC. More recent files for GemPC readers are available from Gemplus. Install the
files from Gemplus after Windows installs the device.
— If you plug in the smart card USB port instead of the printer data port when installing the printer, the Add/
Detected New Hardware wizard appears, naming the reader as the hardware it found. Allow the wizard to
complete and then connect the USB data cable to the USB port closest to the input hopper to install the
printer on the PC.
— For Windows Me and 98SE and HID, Casi, iCLASS, and Indala readers, use the Windows installation CDROM to install contactless readers that use a USB port.
— For Windows Me, 2000, and 98SE and GemPlus contact readers, use the downloaded files from Gemplus
to install the drivers, not the Add/Detected New Hardware Wizard. Restart Windows before you use the
reader.
— If the printer includes two smart card readers that use a USB port, the port will be connected to an internal
hub. Make sure you have the files (described above) for both devices before you connect the smart card
USB port and the PC. When you connect the smart card USB port to the PC, the PC will identify two new
devices and might display two Found New Hardware Wizards. Use only one wizard at a time and follow the
guidelines above to install each type of reader.
•
If the printer has only a serial smart card port, you can connect the hardware before installing files to support
the smart card.
— The smart card serial cable must be a shielded DB9 serial cable, up to a maximum of 9.8 feet or 3 meters
long.
— For a 680 reader, double-click the downloaded file to view the files available. Follow the instructions in the
downloaded file to install a reader on the PC. You do not need to install the complete API.
•
If the printer includes both a smart card USB port and a smart card serial port, the printer includes both a
contact reader and a 680 reader. Install files for both devices and use two smart card cables.
Verify Windows installation of a smart card reader
Verify that the driver files for the smart card reader(s) are installed correctly on the PC and that Windows can
communicate with the reader:
SP Series Info Central: Setup
42
•
Check the Windows Device Manager to verify that the device is installed:
— A contact smart card reader will appear as an entry under “Smart Card Reader.”
— If the contact reader appears as an entry under “Other devices” the device is not installed correctly. For
Windows Me and 98 SE, restart Windows to enable device installation.
— A contactless smart card reader is likely to appear as a Keyboard or a Human Interface Device.
— A 680 contactless reader does not appear in the Device Manager list.
•
To verify the installation of SCM smart card driver files, use the SCM diagnostics utility.
— open the utility and look in the Connected Readers folder to see the devices. When the drivers and reader
are installing correctly, inserting the appropriate smart card will cause the “card status” to change to
“inserted.”
•
To verify the installation of Gemplus smart card driver files, use the Gemplus SmartDiag utility, which is
available from the GemPlus web site.
•
Printer Diagnostics, which you can install using the driver CD-ROM, include the ability to test some types of
smart card readers.
•
To verify the installation of HID, Casi, iCLASS or Indala readers, install and use the configuration utility from the
RF IDeas Web site.
Tips for success
•
Cards-per-hour ratings do not apply. The smart card personalization process requires dwell time that is
controlled by the personalizing application, not the printer and driver.
•
The Retry button on message boxes is not available. The personalizing application can control messages, and
so some printer messages might not be displayed.
SP Series Info Central: Setup
42
Laminator Setup
The information in this section applies only to SP75 printers.
All SP75 printers have one laminator, which is always in the L1 location, toward the front of the printer. Some SP75
printers have a second laminator in the L2 location, toward the back of the printer.
Laminator materials
The laminator applies topcoat or DuraGard® patch material to the card. The L1 and L2 laminators can apply either
type of material. Topcoat is a continuous film and a DuraGard patch is a die-cut polyester shape.
Patches can cover the complete card, can have a opening for a smart card chip, or can cover the card under the
magnetic stripe.
Both DuraGard patches and topcoat can be clear or can have a hologram or similar transparent image on them.
Such material is usually called holographic topcoat or holographic patch. Customers can order customized
holographic material.
In addition, holographic topcoat or DuraGard patch can be designed so the image appears in the same location on
each card.
SP Series Style Guide
43
See Laminator supplies for part numbers of supplies that are available.
Purposes
The reasons for applying material using a laminator include:
•
To preserve the quality of the image on the card. Both Topcoat and DuraGard patch provide UV protection for
the printing on the card.
•
To improve the durability of the card. DuraGard patch is available in 0.5 clear, 0.6 mil holographic, and 1.0 mil
thicknesses for durability.
•
To improve security of the card. Holographic and other transparent images are tamper-evident and can be
difficult to mimic. Users can purchase material with Datacard®-designed images or can develop a customized
image and purchase custom material to meet specific security needs.
•
Holographic Topcoat or DuraGard patch can be designed so the image appears in the same location on each
card, further enhancing security. Topcoat material that places the image in the same location on each card is
call registered topcoat. Custom DuraGard patch material is available with registered images.
Card design issues
The card design must include a description of what type of laminator material is applied to each side of the card.
When you set up the printer, you must set up the laminators so that the correct material is applied to the side of the
card. Here are steps to consider:
•
If the printer has one laminator, apply the material to one or both sides of the card, and change driver settings
to implement that. See "Working with Properties and Printing Preferences" to change settings.
•
Supply packages are labeled with part numbers, but might not include all the details that printer operators must
consider when choosing which supply to load in each laminator. If you use more than one type of laminator
supply, clearly label each type of supply.
•
For proximity cards, you normally set the Debow Laminator 1 (and, if present, Debow Laminator 2) settings to
“No.” See "Working with Properties and Printing Preferences" to change settings. Print some test cards to make
sure the settings work with the cards.
Two laminators
•
If the printer has two laminators and you use different material in each laminator, you must choose which
laminator will apply each material. The quickest way to process a card is to apply material in L1 to the front of
the card and material in L2 to the back of the card. Then, you must change driver settings to implement your
choice.
•
If you are likely to have additional operators using the printer, it is important that you provide specific
information about the correct driver settings and the material to load in each laminator. An operator can easily
become confused about whether a specific cartridge should be inserted into the L1 or L2 location.
SP Series Style Guide
44
•
Printers with two laminators are shipped with colored dots, which you can use to mark the laminator location,
the cartridge, and supplies. (The dots shipped with your printer might have a different appearance than those
shown in the illustration.)
•
For best results, also sure to record the laminator location–L1 or L2–for each type of material and driver
settings.
Verify setup
When setting up the printer, print several test cards to determine how well the laminator applies material to your
card. You might need to print several cards before the laminator material is positioned correctly. The printer default
settings should provide very good results. However, several factors including your cards, the design, and your
environment can influence the appearance of cards.
•
Consider the following:
— The patch is completely on the card
— The material adheres well to the edges of the card
— The patch does not come off when the card is bent or twisted
If any of these conditions are present, you might need to change settings to provide the best possible results.
Ask your Datacard®-authorized service provider for guidance and then see "Change laminator settings (SP75
only)" for the steps to follow.
It can be helpful to establish card quality guidelines. One way to do this is to make sample cards and write the
quality standards directly on the cards.
SP Series Style Guide
1
advanced setup 20
application
graphics 3, 26
ID software 5
bar codes
printing intensity 20
blocking 5, 7
customizing 26
print 9, 26
topcoat panel 26
card
design 3, 43
orientation 5, 7, 9
position of printing 20
center printing 20
codes, magnetic stripe escape
32
color settings
about 14
color profile 3
printing intensity 20
sequence 3
communication
bi-directional 5, 21, 24
Default Document Properties
Windows NT 10
design
card 3
dithering 14
edge to edge printing 20
encoding format
magnetic stripe 31, 34
NTT magnetic stripe 35
escape codes
magnetic stripe 32
features
card 3
SP Series Style Guide
help 6
Default Document Properties 10
Printing Preferences 9
Properties 6, 7, 10
holographic topcoat
registration 24
icon
printer 5, 6, 7, 8
intensity
printing 20
laminator
L1 location 42
L2 location 42
setup 42
supply advance 24
temperature and speed 24
magnetic stripe
character sets 34
default settings 36
encoding formats 31, 34
escapes 32
NTT encoding format 35
setup 31
margins
setting print position 20
messages
buttons 41
monochrome printing
bar codes 20
quality 3
patch material
definition and types 42
registration 24
position of patch 24
position of printing 20
print
blocking 5, 7, 9
color quality 3
spooler setting 5
print ribbon
driver setting 5
K3
monochrome 3
saving 3
saving monochrome 4, 12
type setting 9
printer
change settings 20
icon 5, 8
label 37
patch settings 24
position of printing 20
topcoat settings 24
printer driver
settings 5
printing
customized blocking 26
dithering 14
edge to edge 20
Printing Preferences
Windows 2000 and XP 8
Properties
Windows 2000 and XP 7
Windows Me and 98 5
Windows NT 10
quality
colors 3
registration
patch 42
position of patch 24
position of printing 20
position of registered hologram 24
topcoat image 42
save
monochrome print ribbon
4, 12
2
print ribbon 3
settings
bi-directional support 5
color 14
default 5
not available 5, 9
printer 20
sequence 5
spool 5
smart card
cable 37
codes 37
ports 39
processing cards 37
requirements 37
software 37
downloads
smart card files 38
SP Series Style Guide
software
graphics 3, 26
ID software 5
image editing 3, 26
smart card 37, 41
support
smart card files 38
text
printing intensity 20
topcoat material
definition and types 42
registered 24
topcoat panel
customized blocking 26
printing intensity 20
voltage
printing 20
Windows
Device Manager 41
Windows 2000 and XP
color profile 3
help 7, 9
Printing Preferences 8
Properties 7
smart card support 40
Windows Me and 98 6
color profile 3
Properties 5
smart card support 40
Windows NT
Default Document Properties 10
Properties 10
CARD PRODUCTION & SYSTEM MAINTENANCE GUIDE
Card production and system maintenance 1
Card Production 3
Printing cards using ID software 3
Printing cards using a PC application 3
Laminating only 4
Responding to messages 5
Cleaning 7
Cleaning the printer rollers 7
Cleaning the duplex module(s) 10
Cleaning the printhead 11
Cleaning the laminator 13
Replacing the printhead cartridge 15
Maintain the PC 19
SP Series Production e-Guide
2
SP Series Production e-Guide
1
Card production and system maintenance
After the printer, driver, ID software, and capture system are set up, you are ready to produce cards. To assure that
you produce cards that meet requirements, be familiar with how to make cards. In addition, invest small amount of
time to care for the equipment you use to print cards.
SP Series Production e-Guide
2
SP Series Production e-Guide
3
Card Production
This section contains:
•
"Printing cards using ID software"
•
"Printing cards using a PC application"
•
"Laminating only"
Tips for success
•
Developers can write applications using the Smart Driver™ Software Developer’s Kit. This kit can be
downloaded from the Datacard website.
•
If you use magnetic stripe fonts or escapes, keep data for one track in one line of text, and only have magnetic
stripe data on the line. (Use a small font size if needed.)
•
Do not use character formatting (such as kerning) or formatting characters (such as tabs) with data intended for
magnetic stripe encoding.
•
Whenever you encode magnetic stripe data or program smart cards, the card can include confidential data that
you cannot see. In addition, used print ribbon contains negative images of data printed on cards. Handle used
print ribbon and incomplete cards according to your policy for handling the confidential data that might be on
the card.
•
For the most current information about messages, see the online help for each message.
Printing cards using ID software
To use ID software, such as Datacard® ID Works™ or Preface™:
Follow instructions for the ID software to capture, format, and save the card data.
In the ID software, send cards to the printer (usually, use the Print button).
— The printer driver receives and processes card data, places cards in a queue, and sends the next card to
the printer.
Printing cards using a PC application
To use a PC application, such as Microsoft Word:
In the application, select the Smart Driver™ as the current printer. (Your printer might have a different name.)
Select the printer settings that correspond to the cards. For details, see Setting up for the card design.
In the application's page setup feature, set the paper size to CR80 Card 2.13" x 3.38" and set the margins to
match the driver.
Format the text to print using TrueType fonts. Text formatted as Black will print using the K (solid black) ribbon
panel. All other colors are printed using the color panels (if you use a color print ribbon).
To encode magnetic stripe data, do one of the following:
— Type the magnetic stripe data on the front of the card and format the text using one of the following fonts:
— Track 1—Magnetic Stripe
— Track 2—Magnetic Stripe
— Track 3—Magnetic Stripe
— Track NTT—Magnetic Stripe (PC must run a Japanese language Windows operating system)
— If your application does not allow you to select fonts, use magnetic stripe escapes to identify data. For
details, see Magnetic Stripe Setup.
SP Series Production e-Guide
4
When the card data is ready, select Print to send the card to print. The printer driver receives and processes
card data, places cards in a queue, and sends the next card to the printer.
Laminating only
This section applies only to the SP75 printer.
Tips for Success
•
The Apply Material setting for the L1 Laminator (and L2 laminator, if present) in Printing Preferences,
Properties, or Document Defaults determine the side(s) on which to apply material.
•
If Apply Material is set to "Do Not Apply" and you choose Laminate Only, cards will be sent through the printer
but nothing will be done to them.
If you have an SP75 printer, which includes an L1 laminator and an optional L2 laminator, you can laminate cards
without printing on them. To laminate only:
In the Printer Toolbox, click the Laminate Only button to pick cards from the input hopper and apply material
using the L1 laminator (and L2 laminator, if present).
Enter the number of cards, up to 255, that you want to laminate, then click Start.
SP Series Production e-Guide
5
Responding to messages
The printer and driver generate a message on the PC when a card cannot be processed. Usually, the message is
displayed on the PC.
When a message is displayed on the PC, follow the suggested action. Click the Help button to see likely causes
and possible solutions.
When the printer status light blinks amber, it is safe to open the printer to fix any problems.
Fix the problem, then close the printer cover and press to latch it.
The message box might disappear on its own or you might need to click a button.
Buttons on the message box can be:
Retry: Clears the card. The driver sends the card or cards to the printer again. If the problem is fixed, normal
operation resumes.
Cancel: Clears the card. The driver does not send the card again. If the problem is fixed, normal operation
resumes.
OK: Used for a message that occurs when no card was being printed, a status message, or an equipment
failure message. If the problem is corrected, normal operation resumes. (Power the printer off and on if
operation does not resume.)
The printer might eject any cards in the printer.
Message Tips
•
If the message box disappears automatically, you might need to return to the ID software to send the card to
print again.
•
If the printer beeps and the status light blinks amber but no message appears on the PC, try:
— If you printed a test card and the printer beeps but no message appears on the PC, use a card with a
magnetic stripe and make sure the stripe is oriented correctly.
— Restart Windows to fix the problem.
•
If a message appears repeatedly and you cannot reliably fix it, the printer might need service. Record the
message and message number, the printer serial number, and the driver and firmware versions (see the Printer
Toolbox). Call your service provider.
•
On the SP35 and SP55 printer, rejected cards are placed in the output hopper.
On the SP75, rejected cards are placed in the reject bin.
SP Series Production e-Guide
6
SP Series Production e-Guide
7
Cleaning
This section contains:
•
"Cleaning the printer rollers"
•
"Cleaning the duplex module(s)"
See Site requirements for guidelines for a good printer environment, which can reduce the amount of cleaning
required to produce high-quality cards.
Cleaning tips
•
Run a printer cleaning card as the first step when cleaning the printer. The printer cleaning card can remove
most contaminants from the printer. See Cleaning the printer for steps to follow.
•
If you use StickiCards™, clean the card tracks after every 100 cards, or as needed. Run a cleaning card to
clean the card track. The printer might also need additional cleaning. Use the cleaning pen to reach most areas
of the card track. Use isopropanol and a swab (not included in the cleaning kit) to reach hidden areas of the
card track.
•
Some card features can require more frequent cleaning of the printer, especially if the cards are not high
quality. Signature panels and magnetic stripes can deposit particles on rollers. You can run a cleaning card,
replace the cleaning roller, and then clean the printer rollers to remove particles.
•
If you have an SP75 printer, use holographic topcoat supply material, and see particles of topcoat on cards or
in the printer, you need to use a laminator cleaning card to remove particles. See "Cleaning the laminator" for
the procedure to follow.
Cleaning the printer rollers
The printer rollers move the card during printing or cleaning operations. Clean the rollers when problems occur
such as:
•
Repeated card jams
•
Cards are not being picked, repeatedly
•
Colors are not aligned on the printed card
Use the cleaning pen to clean printer rollers.
Make sure that printing of cards is complete before cleaning the rollers.
Open the Printer Toolbox if needed by double-clicking the printer icon.
Clean the pick roller:
Open the input hopper.
b Remove all cards from the input hopper.
SP Series Production e-Guide
8
Remove the cap from the cleaning pen. Hold the end of the cleaning pen against the pick roller.
d Click the Clean Printer button in the Printer Toolbox. Click OK on the prompt that appears. Do not insert a
cleaning card! The driver sends a command to the printer to run the printer cleaning card. The printer
moves rollers when it attempts to pick the card.
— For printers with the Built-in Ethernet feature, you can alternatively use the LCD panel to clean the
printer rollers. See Cleaning the Printer (with LCD panel).
Slowly move the pen over the surface of the pick roller.
Lightly wipe any dirt from the end of the cleaning pen onto a clean cloth or paper. Move the cleaning pen to
another area of the roller. (Click Cancel on the “Card not picked” message if it appears.)
g Repeat steps d through f until no more dirt appears on the pen.
Clean the permanent cleaning rollers if needed.
Open the printer cover and remove the print ribbon cartridge. Make sure cards are removed from the input
hopper.
b Remove the replaceable cleaning roller.
SP Series Production e-Guide
9
Observe the permanent cleaning rollers, especially the lower roller (location 1 in the illustration). If you
observe ribbon or other debris on the rollers, clean the rollers using the cleaning pen. (If not, continue with
step 4.)
d Do one of the following to turn the rollers in the printer.
— Click the Clean Printer button in the Printer Toolbox. Click OK on the prompt that appears. Do not insert
a cleaning card! The driver sends a command to the printer to run the printer cleaning card. The printer
moves rollers when it attempts to pick the card.
— Turn the card advance knob to move rollers by hand.
Move the pen on the roller.
Lightly wipe any dirt from the end of the cleaning pen onto a clean cloth or paper. Move the cleaning pen to
another area of the roller. (Click Cancel on the “Card not picked” message if it appears.)
g Repeat steps d through f for the rollers at location 2 until no more dirt appears on the pen or cloth.
Clean the transport area rollers:
Make sure the print ribbon cartridge and replaceable cleaning roller have been removed. Make sure cards
are removed from the input hopper.
b Place the cleaning pen on top of the first transport roller (location 2 in the illustration). Do not place the pen
next to the black transport base. The pen can get pinched between the roller and the transport base.
c Do one of the following to turn the rollers in the printer.
— Click the Clean Printer button in the Printer Toolbox. Click OK on the prompt that appears. Do not insert
a cleaning card! The driver sends a command to the printer to run the printer cleaning card. The printer
moves rollers when it attempts to pick the card.
— Turn the card advance knob to move rollers by hand.
d Move the pen on the roller.
e Lightly wipe any dirt from the end of the cleaning pen onto a clean cloth or paper. Move the cleaning pen to
another area of the roller. (Click Cancel on the “Card not picked” message if it appears.)
f Repeat steps c through e for the roller at location 2 until no more dirt appears on the pen or cloth.
g Move the cleaning pen to location 3. Repeat steps c through e.
h Move the cleaning pen to location 4. Repeat steps c through e.
— If the printer has a magnetic stripe module, the roller is just visible below the black cover of the magnetic
stripe module, on the left side of the printer.
— If the printer does not have a magnetic stripe module, clean the upper roller and the partly hidden lower
roller, on the left side of the printer.
For SP55 and SP75 printers, clean the additional transport rollers:
Make sure the print ribbon cartridge and replaceable cleaning roller have been removed. Make sure cards
are removed from the input hopper.
b Place the cleaning pen on top of the last transport roller (location 5 in the illustration). It will be difficult to see
this roller if there is a smart card module installed.
c Do one of the following to turn the rollers in the printer.
— Click the Clean Printer button in the Printer Toolbox. Click OK on the prompt that appears. Do not insert
a cleaning card! The driver sends a command to the printer to run the printer cleaning card. The printer
moves rollers when it attempts to pick the card.
— Turn the card advance knob to move rollers by hand.
d Move the pen on the roller.
e Lightly wipe any dirt from the end of the cleaning pen onto a clean cloth or paper. Move the cleaning pen to
another area of the roller. (Click Cancel on the “Card not picked” message if it appears.)
f Repeat steps c through e for the roller at location 5 until no more dirt appears on the pen or cloth.
Replace the print ribbon cartridge and replaceable cleaning roller. Close the printer cover.
SP Series Production e-Guide
10
Replace cards in the input hopper.
Print a card to verify the quality of printing. You can print a printer test card, a sample card, or a card using your
card creation application.
Cleaning the duplex module(s)
On SP55 printers with the optional duplex module, and on SP75 printers, clean the duplex rollers as described
next.
Locate the duplex rollers:
Clean the duplex rollers:
— Move the cleaning pen over the gray duplex rollers (1) while manually rotating the gear next to the rollers
(2).
— Flip the duplex module by pushing the top away from you (3).
— Clean the black rollers (4) while manually rotating the gear next to the rollers (5)
On SP75 printers, clean the lower duplex rollers as described in the previous step.
SP Series Production e-Guide
11
Cleaning the printhead
The printhead can have contamination stuck to it. You might notice it as unprinted lines on printed cards. Clean the
printhead only when needed, such as:
•
The printhead has been accidently touched, such as when changing supplies or clearing a card jam.
•
You have replaced the printhead cartridge.
•
Your observe problems with card appearance, as described in Card appearance problems.
Tips for success
•
Do not touch the printing edge of the printhead cartridge with your fingers. The oils on your fingers can damage
the printhead.
•
Do not bump the printing edge of the printhead cartridge with any sharp objects. Sharp objects can
permanently damage the printhead.
•
Use the cleaning pen to clean the printhead. Do not use a cotton swab. The fibers from the cotton can stick to
the printhead.
Power off the printer by disconnecting it from the power source.
Open the printer cover.
Open the cleaning pen.
Using gentle pressure, move the cleaning pen back and forth along the full length of the printhead edge (see
the following illustration). Be sure to clean the rounded edge of the printhead completely.
— If the cleaning pen does not remove all contamination from the printhead, contact your service provider for
additional assistance.
Close the printer cover. Push firmly on the edge to latch the cover.
SP Series Production e-Guide
12
Connect the power cable to the power receptacle to power on the printer.
Print a card to verify the quality of printing. You can print a sample card or a card from your application.
SP Series Production e-Guide
13
Cleaning the laminator
This section applies only to the SP75 printer.
Using the laminator cleaning card
Use the laminator cleaning card when at least one laminator is loaded with holographic topcoat material and one or
more of the following are true:
•
Particles appear on the laminated cards
•
Particles are visible inside the printer
•
Patches are visible inside the printer on a roller
For examples of problems that require laminator cleaning, see Card appearance problems.
Have the following ready:
•
The SP75 printer, installed and communicating properly
•
Laminator cleaning card
To clean the laminator:
Remove the L1 and, if present, the L2 laminator cartridge(s).
Remove cards from the output hopper.
On the PC, open the Printer Toolbox, if needed, by double-clicking the printer icon. (You can alternatively use
the LCD panel for cleaning. To do this, see LCD Settings.) If you have exited from the Printer Toolbox, open
Properties, Printing Preferences, or Document Default Properties and choose to open the Printer Toolbox.
Click the Clean Laminator button.
Peel the protective paper from both sides of the cleaning card.
Insert the cleaning card in the output hopper, under the white stripe. The card must be under the white stripe
and the brushes. When it is in the correct location and pushed in far enough, the card will stay in place.
SP Series Production e-Guide
14
Click OK on the message box to begin running the laminator cleaning card.
When the process is complete, the printer ejects the laminator cleaning card in the output hopper.
Pull out the laminator cartridge and inspect for particles. If particles are present:
— Retrieve the laminator cleaning card from the output hopper and use it to remove the particles of topcoat
from the cartridge, as shown.
— If particles still remain on the cartridge and inside of printer, use a vacuum cleaner with a small plastic hose
attachment to carefully remove the particles. Also clean any remaining particles from the output hopper,
reject bin, and back door of the printer.
Tips for Success
•
If the cleaning card is not pushed into the printer far enough, you might see the message, "The card is stuck in
the L2 Laminator. OP 01612" on the PC. Push the card in farther, then click the Clean Laminator button again.
•
If the printer does not take any action after you click OK on the prompt and push the cleaning card in, the card
is not in the correct location. The cleaning card must be pushed under the white stripe inside the output hopper.
Look closely at the inside of the output hopper and the illustration in step 5.
•
At the end of the laminator cleaning cycle, the card might stick to the rollers in the output hopper. Pull on the
card to remove it.
•
Discard the laminator cleaning card after one use.
•
Avoid contact with the heated roller, which contains sensitive electronic components.
•
If cleaning the laminator does not solve the problem, contact your service provider for assistance.
SP Series Production e-Guide
15
Replacing the printhead cartridge
The printer uses an operator-replaceable printhead cartridge. For more information about printhead cartridges, see
Supplies.
This section contains:
•
"Remove the printhead cartridge"
•
"Replace the printhead cartridge"
Remove the printhead cartridge
Do not touch the printing edge of the printhead cartridge. If you do, clean it using the cleaning pen, as described in
"Cleaning the printhead".
Do not bump the printing edge of the printhead cartridge with any sharp objects. Sharp objects can permanently
damage the printhead.
Power off the printer.
Open the printer cover.
Place your hand under the printhead cartridge because it will move down when released.
Press the printhead latch away from you (1) to release the printhead cartridge (2).
Pull on the connector and cables to remove the printhead cable.
SP Series Production e-Guide
16
Replace the printhead cartridge
Position the printhead cartridge with the silver label toward you and on top. Place the printhead cable behind
the cartridge so the plug is visible through the opening in the printhead cartridge.
Carefully align the plug with the receptacle on the printhead. Push the plug all the way onto the receptacle (see
the following illustration).
Align the printhead cartridge pins with the printhead cartridge slots on the cover arm (see the following
illustration).
SP Series Production e-Guide
17
Press in the printhead latch (step 1 in the illustration above) and push up on the printhead cartridge to seat it in
the cradle. (step 2 in the illustration above). Release the printhead latch when the printhead cartridge is in
place.
Clean the printhead. Move the cleaning pen back and forth along the length of the printhead edge. Be sure to
completely clean the rounded edge of the printhead.
Close the printer cover, pressing down on the edge to latch it.
Power on the printer.
Print a card to verify the quality of printing. You can print a sample card or a card using your ID software.
If needed, fine tune edge to edge settings to center the printed image with the new printhead cartridge. For
steps to follow, see Changing Settings in the Printer: Fine tune edge to edge printing.
SP Series Production e-Guide
18
SP Series Production e-Guide
19
Maintain the PC
Good PC operation contributes to good operation of the printer and driver. Problems on the PC can prevent
efficient operation of the system that includes the PC and printer.
Perform PC hard disk maintenance on a regular basis or when the following occurs:
•
The printer driver displays messages for which PC maintenance is a solution
•
Applications display “Out of memory” messages
•
The hard disk has less than 50 MB of space free
•
Windows has shut down unexpectedly (crashed) (which can result in temp files remaining on the PC)
•
The PC is used often to access the Internet
Tips for Success
•
On the Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems, the Administrator must perform maintenance
tasks.
•
Perform maintenance tasks on each PC that prints cards.
•
Follow the steps in Windows help or use the steps in this section.
•
To access Windows help, select Help from the Start menu. In the Windows Help contents, select
Troubleshooting.
Save all data in your open applications.
Close all applications, including resource monitors.
Exit from the Printer Toolbox. (Using the Minimize button on the Printer Toolbox does not have the same
effect.)
Locate the System Tray in the right corner of the Windows taskbar.
b Right-click on the icon for the Printer Toolbox.
c From the popup menu that appears, select Exit.
Log off any network connections.
Run the Disk Cleanup program:
b Select the drive to clean up, usually C:\.
c Select the types of files to delete.
d Select OK and then Yes on the message box. Disk Cleanup can require a minute or more to delete files.
For Windows Me and 98, run the ScanDisk program:
From the Windows task bar, select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then Disk Cleanup.
From the Windows task bar, select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then ScanDisk.
b Select the drive to scan, usually C:\.
c Select Standard test and Automatically fix errors.
d Select OK. ScanDisk can require 5 minutes or more for a standard scan.
e When ScanDisk is complete, follow any instructions and close the program.
Free up additional disk space:
From the Windows task bar, select Start, Programs and then Windows Explorer.
b Open the C:\Temp, C:\Windows\Temp, C:\Winnt\Temp, or C:\Win2K\Temp folder. Delete any files not being
used.
c Open the C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files, C:\Winnt\Temporary Internet Files folder. Delete any files
not being used.
d Open the Recycle Bin in Explorer. Delete all files from the Recycle Bin.
SP Series Production e-Guide
20
f Make sure the Disk free space is 40MB or greater.
g Remove additional files if needed.
Run the Disk Defragment program if one is installed on the PC:
Click the icon for drive C:\. The status line shows the available disk space, such as:
— 48.2MB (Disk free space: 302MB)
From the Windows task bar, select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then Disk
Defragmenter.
b Select the drive to scan, usually C:\.
c Select OK to run the program.
d When the program completes, a message appears.
e Select OK to close the program.
With all applications closed, from the Windows task bar, select Start and then Shutdown.
10 From the Shut Down Windows box, select Restart the Computer and then Yes.
11 If you were printing cards, restart the ID software (such as Preface or ID Works) and send the card to print
again.
Other PC problems
•
On Windows 2000 and XP, the PC can appear to have maintenance problems when the user does not have the
necessary permissions. To set permissions, see “Setting Printer Permissions” in Installing the Driver.
•
If a Datacard® printer driver was installed on this PC and then removed, you can run the Cleanup Utility to
remove any files that Windows does not remove. See the “Running the Cleanup Utility” in Reinstall the Printer
Driver.
•
If the print processor is not the correct one, the PC can appear to have problems. Make sure that the “Print
Processor” or the “Print using the following driver” selection in Properties is Smart Driver™.
SP Series Production e-Guide
1
card
appearance problems 11
not picked 7
preventing jams 7
signature panel 7
card production 3
cleaning 7
printer rollers 7
printhead 11
cleaning card, using 7
cleaning pen, using 7
cleaning the laminator 13
color
alignment problems 7
Disk Cleanup program 19
Disk Defragmenter program 20
disk space 19
jams, preventing 7
laminating
without printing 4
laminator cleaning card, using 13
laminator, cleaning 13
message
out of memory 19
PC
disk space 19
fixing problems 20
pick roller, cleaning 7
printer
cleaning the rollers 7
printer parts
printhead cartridge 15
printhead cartridge
cleaning 11
replacing 15
printing cards 3
problems
SP Series Production e-Guide
2
card quality 11
colors misaligned 7
on the PC 20
repeated card jams 7
replace printhead cartridge 15
roller
pick roller, cleaning 7
transport rollers, cleaning 9
ScanDisk program 19
signature panel 7
utilities
Disk Cleanup 19
Disk Defragmenter 20
ScanDisk 19
SP Series Production e-Guide
TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
Troubleshooting 1
Is it really trouble? 1
How do I troubleshoot a problem? 1
Locating the problem 3
Making Test Cards 4
Making a printer test card 4
Printer test card 5
Card appearance problems 6
Printing appearance 7
Monochrome printing 14
Print Topcoat problems 16
Laminator topcoat problems (SP75 printer only) 18
Laminator patch problems (SP75 printer only) 21
Communication problems 28
Magnetic stripe problems 34
Magnetic stripe test card 34
Common magnetic stripe problems 34
Obtaining service 36
When to obtain service 36
Packing the printer for shipping 36
Installing Printer Diagnostics 37
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
1
Troubleshooting
This e-Guide helps you to understand problems you might have when using an SP Series printer and how to
address those problems.
Is it really trouble?
The following table provides a quick guide to help you get started troubleshooting. Pick the problem that is most
like yours (or use the Contents to locate the section you are interested in).
Problem
Is it trouble?
Why? What do I do?
A message appears.
No.
Messages do not mean trouble–messages are
expected during normal operation. See help for the
message to address the condition.
The printer beeps and the status
light flashes, but no message
appears.
Probably not.
This problem can be the result of:
• Changing the printer name or the printer
port (restart Windows to fix the problem).
•
Pausing the printer when making a printer
test card (power-on test card). Press the
Ready key to resume printing.
•
Communication problems. See "Locating
the problem" for steps to follow.
The same message (or series of
messages) appears repeatedly,
and the solutions listed in help do
not fix it.
Yes, part of the
printer might be
broken.
You should call your service provider after you
have tried all the solutions listed in help.
I send a card to print from the
PC, but it does not print.
Maybe.
Communication problems can usually be fixed.
Rarely, they are the result of a printer problem. See
"Locating the problem" for steps to follow.
I installed the driver, but the
printer does not print cards.
Probably not.
This is usually a result of communication problems
and can often be fixed. See "Locating the problem"
for steps to follow.
Cards have scratches.
Probably not.
You can fix this problem, because it is probably due
to the card stock, the environment in which you
print, or how you handle cards and supplies. See
"Card appearance problems" for guidance.
The color on the cards is not
right.
Probably not.
This is usually a setup problem. See "Card
appearance problems" for guidance.
When I power on the printer,
nothing happens, not even after
5 minutes!
Maybe.
See "Locating the problem", which gives you steps
to follow to locate the problem.
How do I troubleshoot a problem?
When you experience problems using the printer, follow these guidelines:
•
Keep notes on the problem, including:
— The message text or message number and the solutions you attempt.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
2
— Communication method used to connect the printer and PC
•
Obtain information about the supplies used, including:
— Card stock and type (such as composite or PVC, three-track magnetic stripe, manufacturer, and so on).
This information is located on the packaging for cards.
— Type of ribbon (such as YMCKT) and the lot number used for personalizing cards. This information is
located on the package of the ribbon.
— For SP75, type of laminator material and the lot number.
If you need to call for service, this information will help your service provider address your concerns.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
3
Locating the problem
When you think the printer is not working correctly, use the following procedure to locate the source of the problem.
The printer, printer driver, and card creation application work together to produce cards. If the system is not
working as you expect and does not display messages, follow these steps to isolate the source of the problem
before contacting your service provider.
Make a printer test card, following the steps in "Making a printer test card".
— If the printer does not make a test card, make sure the printer is connected to a functioning power source.
— Remove the printer power cord from the outlet and connect another device such as a light to the same
outlet, to verify that the power source functions correctly.
— If the power source works but you cannot create a printer test card, the printer is likely not working properly.
Print a sample card from the Printer Toolbox. See Printing sample cards for the steps to follow.
— If the sample card does not print, but the printer test card prints, the printer driver or the PC are not set or
operating properly, or there is a communication problem. See "Communication problems".
Make sure the printer is the selected printer in the ID software
Use the card creation application to print a card.
— If the card creation application does not print the card as expected, but the test card and sample card print,
the card creation application is likely not set or operating properly.
SP Series Info Central
4
Making Test Cards
You can make the following types of test cards.
•
Printer test cards verify the function of the printer. You print them using controls on the printer. The
personalization of the card is determined by the printer, the print ribbon, and modules (such as magnetic stripe)
installed in the printer.
•
Printer magnetic stripe test cards, which verify that the driver sends magnetic stripe information to the printer
and verifies that it is encoded. Use controls in the Printer Toolbox to print magnetic stripe test cards. See
"Magnetic stripe test card" for steps to follow.
•
Sample cards, which are made using files provided with the driver. Sample cards are made at installation to
verify that the printer produces the same result at the factory and at your site.
See Print a sample card for steps to follow.
•
You can also make sample cards using the ID software to test print quality and card design. Do not make
sample cards until you are sure the printer and driver work properly (by printing a printer test card).
Making a printer test card
The SP Series printer does not need to be connected to a PC to print this card.
Power off the printer.
Confirm that cards and print ribbon are loaded in the printer. See the SP Printer Guide if needed.
— If the printer has a magnetic stripe module, the card for a printer test card must have a magnetic stripe.
— If it is a three-track module, be sure to use blank cards with the correct coercivity (the default is high
coercivity) which are shipped in the Starter Kit.
— If the printer has been installed previously and has used a custom magnetic stripe format, you might need to
set the printer to use the default encoding format for the module. See Magnetic stripe setup.
Power on the printer (1). Within 5 seconds, press and hold the Ready key (2), as shown in the illustration. Hold
the Ready key firmly until the printer sounds three tones and displays “Printer Test Card” on the LCD panel,
usually about 15 to 30 seconds.
Release the Ready key and observe the printer. You hear the internal components initialize and the printer
starts processing the card.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
5
After it is printed, remove the card from the output hopper. A printer test card is shown in "Printer test card".
Tips for success
•
Press the Ready key firmly. You might need to hold the printer in place as you keep the Ready key pressed.
•
Allow 30 to 60 seconds for the printer to begin printing the test card.
•
The status light will flash green while the printer is processing the data.
•
If the status light is steady amber and the printer beeps, the printer is paused. Press the Ready key once to unpause the printer.
•
If the printer test card did not print successfully, try the procedure again, making sure you follow the
instructions. If the test card does not print, or if the printer does not initialize, contact your service provider for
assistance.
Printer test card
The printer test card is designed to perform most functions available in the printer.
•
Check the following:
•
The test card has the pattern shown on the front of the card. (The pattern will be monochrome dots, not colored
dots, if the printer uses a monochrome ribbon.)
•
If a magnetic stripe module is installed in the printer, the following data is encoded on the card:
Track
Format
Data
Track 1
(IATA)
TEST PATTERN IATA CHARACTER
SUBSET 0123456789
Track 2
(ABA)
012345678012345678990123456789
Track 3
(TTS)
0123456789=9876543210
Track 3
(NTT)
0123456789=9876543210
•
The tracks available depend on the type of module installed.
•
The magnetic stripe data on the printer test card is generated by the printer and does not test driver-to-printer
communication.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
6
Card appearance problems
Problems with card appearance can be the result of the following:
•
Image capture tools, such as the camera
•
The card creation application, which displays the image
•
Limitations in technology, such as differences between how an image looks on the PC monitor and how it looks
after it is printed
•
Printer maintenance or settings
•
Card quality, such as cards that are not flat from the die-cutting process
This section describes possible problems you might observe with the quality of cards you produce with the SP
Series printer. To diagnose and fix card quality problems, find the symptom in the tables that follow. For each
possible cause, attempt the solutions in the order listed.
The available topics are:
•
"Printing appearance"
•
"Monochrome printing"
•
"Print Topcoat problems"
•
"Laminator topcoat problems (SP75 printer only)"
•
"Laminator patch problems (SP75 printer only)"
To find the topic that describes how to perform the procedure, do one of the following:
•
Type an important word (such as clean or ribbon) in the Index or Search tabs
•
Find the procedure in the Contents list for SP Series Info Central.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
7
Printing appearance
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
One or more unprinted lines
run the entire length of each
card.
The printhead might be dirty or
damaged.
Clean the printhead.
Print a sample card to confirm
that the problem is fixed.
The card was scratched after it
was printed.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
The printer is positioned next to a
device that emits radio waves in
excess of regulations.
Move the printer away from the
source of radio waves.
If cleaning the printhead or
moving the printer does not solve
the problem, contact your service
provider.
No image is printed on the
card or the printing is very
light.
The ribbon is loaded incorrectly.
Remove and replace the ribbon.
The printhead cable might be
loose.
Power off the printer. Make sure
the printhead cable is securely
connected.
Two cards were picked.
Fan cards before loading them.
The printhead cable or printhead
cartridge might be damaged.
Replace the printhead. If this
does not solve the problem,
contact your service provider.
The driver or printer settings
might not be correct.
Change values on the Color
Settings tab of the Printer
Toolbox.
If needed, change printhead
intensity.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
8
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Part of the printed card is not
the expected color.
The ribbon might have been
moved while the printer power
was off.
The next card will print correctly.
If this happens frequently,
change the Ribbon Initialization
setting. See Card Design
Checklist for more information.
The transparent wheel on the
print ribbon cartridge might be
dirty.
Clean the wheel using the
cleaning pen.
The transparent wheel on the
print ribbon cartridge might be
damaged or out of position.
If another print ribbon cartridge is
available, see if it fixes the
problem. Obtain a new cartridge.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
One color panel is not aligned
correctly with other panels.
Cards might be slipping in the
card track.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
Two cards might have been
picked.
Fan cards before loading them.
The Leading Edge setting might
be too close to the edge (a value
close to 0).
Change the Leading Edge (edgeto-edge) setting.
The card might be shorter or
longer than specifications, or the
card registration might be
incorrect.
Change card settings with the
guidance of your service
provider.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
Printed images (photos) look
faded.
The image capture system needs
adjustment.
See the information for the image
capture system.
Color settings might not be
optimal for the card design.
Change color settings.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
9
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Printed cards, including text,
look faded.
Print ribbon may have been
stored improperly or damaged.
Change the print ribbon.
Color settings might not be
optimal for the card design.
Change color settings.
The cards may not meet
specifications.
Obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
The printhead may be dirty.
Clean the printhead.
The card thickness or type of
cards have changed.
Change the brightness setting.
Change the intensity setting for
monochrome (K) or topcoat.
The power supply is not the one
supplied with the printer from the
factory.
Use the factory-supplied power
supply (does not apply to SP75)
or change the intensity settings.
The printhead had been
changed.
Change the intensity settings.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
Text is missing from the
printed card.
Text to print on the card was
formatted using a non-TrueType
font.
Format text to print using only
TrueType fonts (does not apply
to magnetic stripe text).
The bottom of the card is
partly printed.
The Trailing Edge setting is too
far from the edge of the card.
Change the Trailing Edge (edgeto-edge) setting.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
10
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
The top of the card is partly
printed.
The Leading Edge setting is too
far from the edge of the card.
Change the Leading Edge (edgeto-edge) setting.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
Printed images (photos) are
blurry.
Printed cards, including text,
are blurry.
The image capture system needs
adjustment.
See the information for the image
capture system.
The cards have a matte, not
glossy, surface.
Use cards with a glossy surface
to print sharp images.
The image needs sharpening.
Change the Sharpness setting
on the Color Settings tab.
The rollers may be dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
The cards may have a very
slippery surface or they might
not meet specifications.
Obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
The printhead might be dirty.
Clean the printhead.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
11
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Part of the printed image is
discolored.
Cards might have fingerprints or
other dirt on them.
Handle cards without touching
the surface to be printed. Wear
gloves when handling unprinted
cards.
The cards might be
contaminated or otherwise not
meet specifications.
Obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
The rollers might be dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
A signature panel is located on
the other side of the card.
Redesign the card to avoid
printing photos over signature
panel residue.
The printhead intensity is too
high.
Decrease the printhead intensity
setting.
Card stock is thin.
Change the Brightness setting.
The card includes very dark
areas.
Change the image to use lighter
colors or smaller areas of dark
colors.
The printhead is not aligned
correctly.
Contact your service provider.
The rollers are dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
The cards may have a very
slippery surface or they might not
meet specifications.
Obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
The card shows wrinkles in
darkly colored areas of
printing.
A line appears from one long
edge to the other. (A dot row
is missing in one color panel.)
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
12
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
A pattern is visible on the
printed card when printing a
smart card.
You are printing on an RF
(contactless) card and the card
surface is uneven where the
antenna and chip are located.
(This problem can also occur on
the back side of a contacted
smart card chip.)
Change the card design to avoid
placing a photo or other
important feature over smart card
components. See the card
manufacturer's web site for
details.
Avoid solid-color and half-tone
backgrounds, which can highlight
the location of components.
If most cards are defective,
exchange this card stock for new
card stock.
The printed card shows small
unprinted spots.
The printed card shows wavy
lines along the length of the
card (woodgrain pattern or
rainbows).
Unprinted cards include
scratches or embedded particles,
the card surface is uneven, or the
card edge has burrs.
If the problem occurs frequently,
obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
The rollers might be dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
Cards might have dirt or debris
on them.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
The print ribbon is not loaded
correctly.
Load the print ribbon again.
Make sure the cartridge is firmly
seated.
Cards might not meet
specifications.
Obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
The printhead might not be
aligned correctly.
Contact your service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
13
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Part of the printed card is
blank.
Cards might not meet
specifications.
Obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
Cards might be dirty.
Clean the printer more often.
The printhead cartridge might not
be installed properly.
Remove and reinstall the
printhead cartridge.
The Long Edges setting might be
incorrect.
Change the Long Edges setting
on the Edge to Edge tab of the
Printer Toolbox.
All card data is positioned
unevenly on the card.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
One front-side margin (on a
long edge) is larger than the
other. This might appear as
one edge of the card being
unprinted.
The print ribbon spools are not
pushed completely onto the
cartridge spindles.
Push each print ribbon spool
onto its spindle until it clicks into
place.
Printed cards are too dark.
The power supply is not the one
supplied with the printer from the
factory.
Use the factory-supplied power
supply (does not apply to SP75)
or change the intensity settings.
The printhead has been
changed.
Change the brightness setting.
The card thickness or type cards
have changed.
Change the brightness setting.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
Change the intensity for
monochrome (K) or topcoat.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
14
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
The card is printed upside
down (the image is rotated
180 degrees).
The card creation application has
rotated the card.
See the information for the card
creation application.
The driver card rotation setting
might be incorrect.
Set the card rotation using the
Properties (98 and Me) or
Printing Preferences (2000 or
XP) dialog box.
The card had topcoat printed on
it and then an image was printed.
Do not re-use cards ejected from
the printer.
The cards might not meet
specifications.
Obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
The image capture system needs
adjustment.
See the information for the image
capture system.
Brightness, contrast, or
sharpness might not be set for
the card design.
Change settings on the Color
Settings tab in the Printer
Toolbox.
If this does not fix the problem,
change the intensity setting.
The card stock might not meet
specifications.
Obtain and use a different supply
of cards.
The printed image on one or
a few cards has high
contrast.
Monochrome printing
Black-and-white images are
poorly dithered.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
15
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Text printed on the card has
broken (partly printed)
characters.
The intensity setting is balanced
to print both bar codes and fine
text.
If the card does not include a bar
code, increase the intensity for
monochrome printing.
If the card includes a bar code,
do one or more of the following to
change the text:
-Increase the font size
-Make the text bold
-Remove italic formatting
-Change the font (Arial usually
prints well)
Printing with monochrome
ribbon has voids.
The text is formatted to print in
color and the card is being
printed with monochrome ribbon.
Format the text to print black so
the text is not dithered.
You are using an HQ black
ribbon (PN552954-601) on a
monochrome printer, which can
result in ribbon wrinkling.
HQ ribbon is intended for use
with a color printer. Switch to
regular black ribbon (PN552954501) if you use a monochrome
printer.
To use the ribbon you have
purchased, reduce the intensity
setting for monochrome ribbon.
Printing with a monochrome
color ribbon (such as green
or red) is uneven, is spotty, or
does not cover the card
completely.
The intensity setting is too low.
Increase the printing intensity. Be
careful to find a balance between
printing all card data and causing
wrinkles.
The card stock requires different
settings.
Change card design to obtain the
best result possible with the
ribbon and card stock.
Change the intensity setting if
needed.
You are printing dithered images
with a monochrome ribbon.
Printing with light-colored ribbon
on dark card stock will not cover
the card completely.
Print only text and line art with a
colored monochrome ribbon.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
16
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
A card was printed
unexpectedly and the text
does not make sense.
On an SP Series printer with the
Built-In Ethernet and Open Card
options, you have changed the
Data Format from Smart Driver™
to Open Card while the driver
was sending a card or was
polling the printer.
If the Smart Driver™ is installed
on a computer and connected to
the printer (locally or through the
network), suspend
communication from the driver to
the printer before changing
settings on the printer LCD
panel.
The topcoat panel of print ribbon
is wrinkling because the intensity
setting is too high.
Lower the printhead intensity
setting for topcoat.
The printhead might not be
aligned correctly.
Contact your service provider.
The printhead intensity is too low.
Increase the printhead intensity
setting for topcoat.
Print Topcoat problems
The card shows irregular
lighter or darker spots.
A short edge of the topcoat
does not stick to the card.
The card thickness or type of
cards have changed.
The printhead is not aligned
correctly.
Random scratches appear in
the topcoat of the printed
card.
Change the brightness settings
on the Color Settings tab in the
Printer Toolbox.
Change the printhead intensity
for monochrome (K) or topcoat.
Contact your service provider.
The inside of the printer might be
dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
Supplies were mishandled.
Store supplies in a clean
environment. Keep supplies in
their packaging until loaded in
the cartridge.
If the problem persists, contact
your service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
17
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
A color panel is missing from
the printed card.
You have printed a card when
the ribbon was moved after
powering off the printer.
The next card will print correctly.
If you move the ribbon often with
the power off, change the Ribbon
Initialization setting to on.
Fine lines appear in the
topcoat, usually on one long
edge of the card.
The printhead intensity for
topcoat is too high.
Lower the printhead intensity
setting for topcoat.
The card thickness or type of
cards have changed.
Change the brightness setting.
Change the intensity for
monochrome (K) or topcoat.
The printhead is not aligned
correctly.
Contact your service provider.
The printhead intensity for
topcoat is too high.
Lower the printhead intensity
setting for topcoat.
The card thickness or type of
cards have changed.
Change the brightness setting.
Change the intensity for
monochrome (K) or topcoat.
You have selected “User-defined
bitmap” in the Print BlockingFront or Print Blocking-Back
setting in Printing Preferences,
Properties, or Document Defaults
dialog box.
Change the setting to use the
correct type of blocking for your
card.
The topcoat appears dull
when the card is held to the
light and turned.
Oval areas of the topcoat or
printing are missing.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
18
Laminator topcoat problems (SP75 printer only)
This section describes problems that might originate when applying topcoat material using a laminator:
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Random scratches appear in
the topcoat of the printed
card.
The inside of the printer is
dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
Supplies were mishandled.
Store supplies in a clean
environment. Keep supplies
in their packaging until
loaded in the cartridge.
The heated roller is dirty.
Run several cards to see if
the problem corrects itself. If
you are unable to resolve the
problem, contact your service
provider for assistance.
Repeating marks appear in
the topcoat of the printed
card.
If the problem persists,
contact your service provider.
The holographic topcoat
shows irregular darker areas.
The temperature for applying
the holographic topcoat is too
high, causing topcoat
particles (flash). These
particles can become
attached to a card.
Attempt to brush the particle
off the card. The card might
be usable.
Run a laminator cleaning
card and clean particles from
the printer.
Lower the laminator
temperature for this material.
Particles of holographic
topcoat appear beyond the
trailing edge of the card.
The temperature for applying
the holographic topcoat is too
high, causing excess topcoat
particles (flash). These
particles can move to a card.
Attempt to brush the particle
off the card. The card might
be usable.
Note: Reducing temperature
can lessen the number of
particles; it will not eliminate
them.
Run a laminator cleaning
card and clean particles from
the printer.
Lower the laminator
temperature for this material.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
19
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
The topcoat shows wavy
lines along the length of the
card (woodgrain or clouds).
The temperature for applying
topcoat is too high.
Lower the laminator
temperature for this material.
The topcoat shows opaque
areas along a short edge of
the card (clouds).
The temperature for applying
topcoat is too high.
Contact your service provider
for guidance in correcting this
problem.
The topcoat has a spotty
appearance, especially on
the leading edge of the card.
The supply material was
attached to the take-up spool
and then wound in the wrong
direction.
The next card should process
correctly. If it does not,
remove the cartridge and turn
the take-up spool clockwise
several turns.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
20
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
The hologram of the topcoat
does not appear on the card.
The Apply Material setting for
the laminator is “Do not
apply.”
Change the Apply Material
setting for the laminator.
Clear topcoat or patch
material is installed in the
cartridge.
Remove the cartridge and
change the supply material to
the desired type.
The supply material was
attached to the take-up spool
and then wound in the wrong
direction.
The next card should process
correctly. If it does not,
remove the cartridge and turn
the take-up spool clockwise
several turns.
The topcoat material is not
loaded correctly in the
cartridge.
Remove the cartridge. Load
the topcoat supply in the
cartridge again.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
21
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
A long edge of the topcoat
does not stick to the card. (It
might have a gray
appearance.)
The temperature of the
heated roller is too low.
Increase the laminator
temperature for this material.
The card has a T panel
applied as part of the print
ribbon.
Holographic topcoat is not
designed to be applied to
cards with a printed topcoat
(T panel). Stop using T panel,
switch your ribbon type, or
stop using holographic
topcoat.
The cards might not meet
specifications.
Obtain and use a different
supply of cards.
The supply material was
wound incorrectly to the takeup spool.
The next card should process
correctly. If it does not,
remove the cartridge and turn
the take-up spool clockwise
several turns.
There might be
contamination on the heated
roller.
Run several cards to see if
the problem corrects itself. If
you are unable to resolve the
problem, contact your service
provider for assistance.
The heated roller is
prevented from pivoting.
Remove cards from the
printer. If this doesn’t help
solve the problem, contact
your service provider.
Laminator patch problems (SP75 printer only)
When you apply patch material, you might see problems. Use this topic to address problems you see with laminate
(patch).
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Proximity cards do not work
after laminate is applied.
Debowing is set to on.
Set debowing for the laminator
to off.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
22
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Cards are bowed (curved)
too much.
Debowing is set to off.
Set debowing for the laminator
to on.
Debow time is not set
correctly.
Contact your service provider
to change the debow time.
Temperature is too high for
the card stock.
Lower the laminator
temperature for this material.
Card stock does not work
with laminator material.
If the material is 1.0-mil
laminate and you are using allPVC cards, switch to
composite cards.
Temperature is too low for the
material.
Increase the laminator
temperature for this material.
The laminate patch comes off
the card when it is flexed.
Make sure you are using
approved card stock.
Random scratches appear
under the laminate patch.
Repeating marks appear on
the laminate patch.
A patch is stuck to the heated
roller.
Run several cards to see if the
problem corrects itself. If you
are unable to resolve the
problem, contact your service
provider for assistance.
The inside of the printer is
dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
Supplies were mishandled.
Store supplies in a clean
environment. Keep supplies in
their packaging until loaded in
the cartridge.
The heated roller is dirty.
Run several cards to see if the
problem corrects itself. If you
are unable to resolve the
problem, contact your service
provider for assistance.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
23
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
The laminate patch does not
adhere to the trailing edge of
the card.
The supply material was
attached to the take-up spool
and then wound in the wrong
direction.
The next card should process
correctly. If it does not, remove
the cartridge and turn the takeup spool clockwise several
turns.
The laminate patch is not
centered between the long
edges of the card.
Supply material is not loaded
correctly in the cartridge.
Load the laminator supply
correctly.
The laminator cartridge is not
fully seated in the printer.
Push the laminator cartridge
firmly to fully seat it.
You replaced the laminator
cartridge.
The laminator material is selfcentering. Process several
cards without removing the
cartridge to allow the material
to be centered.
If the problem still exists,
change the laminator supply
advance.
Supply material is wound
unevenly on the supply roll.
Align edges of supply material
on the take-up spool.
The laminator cartridge is
damaged.
Use a new laminator cartridge.
The temperature for applying
the supply material is too
high.
Lower the laminator
temperature for this material.
The laminate patch shows
wavy lines along the length of
the card (woodgrain).
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
24
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
The laminate patch shows
opaque areas at the leading
edge of the card (clouds).
The temperature for applying
the supply material is too
high.
Decrease the laminator card
registration setting to reduce
the impact of the temperature
at the beginning of lamination.
Laminate patch extends
beyond one of the short
edges of the card.
The rollers are dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
There was slack in the supply
material.
Apply material on another card.
If the problem repeats, go to
the next solution.
The supply material was
wound incorrectly to the takeup spool.
The next card should process
correctly. If it does not, remove
the cartridge and turn the takeup spool clockwise several
turns.
The card registration or foil
registration settings are not
correct for your current
materials.
Contact your service provider
for guidance in changing the
laminator card or foil
registration.
If you cannot fix the problem,
contact your service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
25
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
Particles appear between
card and laminate patch.
The inside of the printer is
dirty.
Run a cleaning card and then
change the cleaning sleeve.
Clean the printer rollers.
The heated roller is dirty.
Run several cards to see if the
problem corrects itself. If you
are unable to resolve the
problem, contact your service
provider for assistance.
The supplies were
mishandled.
Store supplies in a clean
environment. Keep supplies in
packaging until loaded in the
cartridge.
The printer is being used in a
dirty environment.
Move the printer to a clean
environment or clean the
environment.
The temperature setting for
the laminator material is too
high.
Change the laminator
temperature setting.
The heated roller is
damaged.
Turn off the power to the
printer. Contact your service
representative.
The card stock has features,
such as a smart card chip,
that interfere with flatness.
Obtain and use cards that meet
specifications.
The heated roller is
prevented from pivoting.
Clean any cards or other
objects from inside the
laminator area.
The printed card shows wavy
lines along the length of the
card (woodgrain pattern or
rainbows).
One edge of the laminate
patch does not stick to the
card and has a wavy
appearance.
If you cannot fix the problem,
contact your service provider.
The cards may not meet
specifications.
Obtain and use a different
supply of cards.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
26
What you see
Possible causes
Solutions
The laminate patch is
missing.
The supply spool is loaded in
the cartridge incorrectly.
Load the laminator supply
correctly and then send the
card to print again.
The supply was moved and
the patch was used
previously.
Advance the supply past the
used area.
If you cannot fix the problem,
contact your service provider.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
27
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
28
Communication problems
Communication between the printer and PC can be disrupted for many reasons. This section describes causes and
possible solutions for the following situations
•
"For locally attached printers"
•
"For local or network-connected printers"
•
"For network-connected printers"
•
"Other problems"
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
29
For locally attached printers
Problem
Solution
The data cable is loose.
Reconnect the data cable to the port on the PC and the printer.
Restart the printer. If the PC and printer still do not communicate,
restart Windows.
The data cable is damaged or
frayed.
Power off the printer. Replace the cable if you have a spare. Contact
your service provider to order a new data cable.
Another electrical device is
causing radio interference.
Move the printer away from the source of interference, such as a TV
or PC monitor. Use the printer in an environment free of
electromagnetic interference.
Another USB device is attached
to the PC and the printer and
other device do not work
together.
Remove the other device and restart the printer and PC. If PC to
printer communication resumes, use separate PCs for the printer and
the other device. You will need to install the device that gets moved to
another PC.
The data cable is too long, or
unpowered USB hubs are used
between the printer and PC.
See Troubleshooting Installation Problems for specific
troubleshooting steps.
The printer was not installed as
recommended and now is not
connected to the original port.
If you do not allow the Windows Add/Detect New Hardware Wizard to
install the printer, the PC can lose track of the printer if it is moved to a
different USB connection. Connect the PC end of the USB cable to
the same USB port it was originally attached OR remove the driver
and install the printer again.
The system has a temporary
communication problem.
Click Retry to attempt to print the card data again.
Windows USB components on
the PC are not functioning
properly.
On Windows 2000 and XP, begin with the printer connected to the PC
and powered on. Open the Printers window and observe the printer
icon; it should be dark blue when selected. Now, unplug the printer;
the icon should change to light gray. If this occurs, the printer USB
components and Windows components are operating correctly.
On Windows 98 or ME, this test is not as reliable. Also, operating
system USB components are not as robust.
Suggestions:
• Service packs and Windows Update, available from Microsoft,
often include fixes for USB communication problems. Make sure
the PC has the latest service pack installed and that Windows
Update is current.
• If these changes do not fix the problem, consider upgrading the
operating system to Windows 2000 or XP.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
30
Problem
Solution
The PC USB port does not
communicate reliably with the
printer USB port.
Power management on the PC has shut down USB communication.
Open the Device Manager and the list of USB devices. Disable
shutdown for each hub in the list. You might need to restart Windows
to make the changes take effect.
Hibernation on a laptop PC requires several moments to enable USB
communication. Unplug the USB printer port and then connect it
again.
Replace the PC port or the PC. Contact your PC or port vendor if you
need assistance.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
31
For local or network-connected printers
Problem
Solution
Other applications on the PC
might interfere with data
communications.
Many applications that might run on a PC can interfere with
communications, often by using all (or most) PC resources. For
example, network-connected mail applications can poll a server to
send or retrieve items. Depending on the application, network setup,
and PC resources, polling can use all PC resources and prevent data
transmission either locally or over the network.
Suggestions:
• Close other applications that are not needed.
• Consider opening network-connected applications several times
daily rather than keeping applications open at all times.
• Consider increasing PC resources or using a separate PC for
purposes other than printing cards.
Other hardware connected to the
PC can interfere with
communication.
An application on the PC, such as a card creation application, might
use other equipment, such as a camera or a security key. The
application must communicate with the device, such as when
capturing a photo to be printed on the card. Depending on the
application, equipment setup, and PC resources, communication with
the device can use all PC resources and prevent data transmission
either locally or over the network.
Suggestions:
• Adjust the timing for sending the card to print. Often, a second or
two of waiting can correct the problem.
• Consider increasing PC resources.
You have selected another
printer in the application.
Many PCs have more than one printer installed. In the application you
use, make sure that Smart Driver™ is the selected printer.
For network-connected printers
Problem
Solution
The data cable is loose.
Reconnect the data cable to the network port and the printer. Restart
the printer.
The data cable is damaged or
frayed.
Power off the printer. Replace the cable if you have a spare. Obtain a
new Ethernet data cable.
Your network connection is not
working properly.
Follow your network troubleshooting procedures to isolate and test
each component of the computer-to-printer communication link.
Suggestions:
• The computer-to-network connection can be checked by
accessing a network resource, such as a network drive.
• The network administrator can check communication between a
server and the printer.
• Make sure the user is logged in to the network, even for an ad-hoc
wireless connection.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
32
The printer is not configured with
the correct network address.
Make sure that you have entered the server name or IP address in the
Port Settings or Configure Port dialog box on the computer.
If your network uses DHCP, the IP address can change whenever the
printer is disconnected or powered off. For details, see Network
Installation: Set up the network printer.
Cards sent from a client PC are
not printing.
The host PC used for shared printing can be disconnected or
powered off. An authorized user must be logged on to the host PC for
cards to print. Messages might be displayed on the host PC and need
to be cleared before printing can resume.
Suggestions:
• Implement procedures to permit all users who need to print to do
so.
• Consider attaching the printer to the network using a print server
to enable direct network printing.
Other problems
Also consider the following problems, which can seem similar to communication problems:
Problem
Solution
The printer is shared with
another PC, and an interactive
mode (smart card or read
magnetic stripe) job was sent
from the host PC.
Interactive mode jobs, including smart card jobs and read magnetic
stripe jobs, are not supported for shared printers. Do not send
interactive mode jobs to a shared printer.
The printer driver was upgraded,
but you did not restart Windows
before trying to print a card.
Restart Windows after upgrading the driver to enable printing cards.
On Windows XP and Windows
2000, the user does not have
permission to the folder used to
temporarily store the card data.
Show this topic to the Windows administrator and ask for assistance.
On Windows XP, 2000, and NT,
the user does not have
permissions to write to the
registry.
Show this topic to the Windows administrator and ask for assistance.
See Changing User Permissions to the Registry.
The Windows Print Manager is
not operating correctly.
Close all applications and restart the PC. On Windows 2000 or XP,
restart the Print spooler. See Windows 2000 or XP help for more
information.
SP Series Info Central: Troubleshooting
34
Magnetic stripe problems
This section helps you to troubleshoot magnetic stripe problems.
Magnetic stripe test card
If the printer includes a magnetic stripe module, you can print a magnetic stripe test card. The card uses the
magnetic stripe settings in the Properties or Printing Preferences dialog box.
Use this card to verify that the printer encodes a card correctly.
Tips for success
•
If the printer is set to print a custom magnetic stripe format, it will not print this test card successfully. The driver
will display a message indicating that the data does not meet the requirements for the magnetic stripe track or
that it cannot read the data.
•
The printer must be connected to the PC with the driver installed, and both printer and PC must be running.
Make sure that the Printer Toolbox is open. If needed, double-click the printer icon in the system tray to open
the Printer Toolbox.
Make sure that magnetic stripe cards are loaded in the card cartridge. The magnetic stripe must be oriented
with the stripe down and toward the right side of the printer (toward the name label).
Click once on the Print Mag Stripe Card button in the Printer Toolbox. The printer driver formats card data for
the type of module installed, as follows:
— Three-track: IAT formatted data (IATA data on track 1, ABA data on track 2, and TTS data on track 3).
— NTT track: NTT formatted data on the track.
— See Magnetic Stripe Setup for more magnetic stripe information.
Remove the card from the card output tray.
Test the card by passing it through a card reader that will display the data encoded on the card. The encoded
data should match the data printed on the test card.
Common magnetic stripe problems
This section lists some common problems that can occur when encoding magnetic stripe data and provides
solutions.
Problem
Solution
Cards are not oriented
correctly in the card tray.
Load cards correctly in the card tray.
Cards do not have a magnetic
stripe.
Load magnetic stripe cards in the card cartridge. If the cards have a
magnetic stripe, check the quality of the cards. Change card stock if
needed.
The card has dirt or damage
on the magnetic stripe.
Encode and print the card again. If the message appears again, run a
cleaning card to clean the magnetic stripe head.
The magnetic stripe on the
card is low coercivity material
and the High Coercivity setting
is selected.
To use the cards you have, select low coercivity encoding. To encode
with high coercivity, obtain cards manufactured for high coercivity
encoding.
SP Series Info Central
35
Problem
Solution
The magnetic stripe on the
card is high coercivity material
and the Low Coercivity setting
is selected.
To use the cards you have, select high coercivity encoding. To
encode with low coercivity, obtain cards manufactured for low
coercivity encoding.
The magnetic stripe module
did not read the data encoded
on the card successfully.
Run a cleaning card to clean the magnetic stripe head. If the message
appears often, contact your service provider and inform them of the
problem.
The data for this job has more
characters than allowed by the
magnetic stripe format
selected for the track.
Cancel the current print job.
Make sure you know what data is allowed on the track. (See the
Administrator for your system to obtain information about the data
allowed for each track.)
Change the data to be encoded, and resend the print job.
The data for this job includes
characters not allowed by the
magnetic stripe format
selected for the track.
Cancel the current print job.
Make sure you know what data is allowed on the track.
Change the data to be encoded, and resend the print job.
The magnetic stripe data was
sent in an encoding format not
supported by the track.
This problem most often occurs when the driver is set to “Use Printer
Setting” for the Encoding Format. Check the encoding format setting
for the tracks by using Printer Diagnostics.
Make sure the application is using the selected encoding format for
the track.
If the application and track are set to the same format, and the
message appears repeatedly, contact the application provider for
assistance.
The application sent track data
for a track not supported by the
magnetic stripe module.
Check the type of magnetic stripe module in the printer. If the printer
label indicates an IAT module, you can send data for tracks 1, 2, and
3. If the printer label indicates an NTT module, you can send data for
track 3. The magnetic stripe module and cards must be capable of
accepting and encoding each track of data the card creation program
sends.
How to identify the track format
An authorized user can use Printer Diagnostics to identify the track format. On the Mag Stripe Configuration page,
the track format is displayed for each track.
•
If the format is Custom, your service provider should tell you what the track length and allowed characters are.
•
If the format is Binary, your application controls the data. See information for the application for allowed
characters and track length.
SP Series Info Central
36
Obtaining service
This section contains:
•
"When to obtain service"
•
"Packing the printer for shipping"
For repair assistance, contact your service provider. Place the service call from a telephone close to the printer so
that you can access the printer and the PC running the driver while talking to the customer support representative.
Your service provider should record information about how to contact them on the back cover of the Printer Guide
shipped with the printer. If you do not know how to contact your service provider, contact Datacard, who can direct
you to your service provider. See the inside of the front cover of the Printer Guide.
Before you call for service, make sure you have the information recorded during troubleshooting, as described in
this e-Guide. Also, make sure you have the serial number of the printer. It is located on a label that is visible on the
left side of the printer when you open the top cover of the printer.
When to obtain service
Perform the steps at the beginning of this chapter before obtaining service. Call for service if:
•
A troubleshooting process instructs you to call service
•
A troubleshooting process does not produce the expected result
•
You experience a problem repeatedly
Packing the printer for shipping
When service asks you return the printer to a service center for repair, pack the printer for shipping. You might also
need to pack the printer to send it to another location.
Turn off power to the printer.
Remove the power cord from the printer and power receptacle. Remove the data cable and any other cables
attached to the printer.
— If you are shipping the printer to use at another location, pack the power supply, power cord, data cable,
and any other cables in the accessories tray.
— If you are shipping the printer for service, do not ship cables with the printer unless asked to do so.
— Service might ask you to ship cards or additional samples of your current supplies. If service requests cards
or supply samples, place them in the accessory tray to prevent damage to the printer.
Remove all cards from the input hopper, output hopper, (reject bin for SP75), and printer. Do not ship cards
unless asked to do so.
Remove the continuous cleaning roller from the printer unless asked to return it. Put the spindle with other
accessories, such as the Printer Guide.
Make sure the input hopper door is firmly closed.
Close the top cover.
Use the original shipping carton, plastic bag, and foam shipping supports.
Place the plastic bag around the printer.
Make sure the bottom shipping support is in place.
10 Place the printer in the shipping carton, resting in the shipping supports.
11 Place the top shipping support in place.
12 For SP35, place the accessories tray in the shipping carton, on the top.
SP Series Info Central
37
13 Close the shipping carton.
14 Secure the carton with shipping tape. Be sure to wrap around the shipping carton several times to secure it.
15 Put a shipping label on the carton. If you are returning the printer for service, use the address provided by
service.
Installing Printer Diagnostics
Your service provider might ask you to use Printer Diagnostics to identify whether problems with the printer can be
solved at your location or if it must be repaired at a repair depot.
You can obtain files to install Printer Diagnostics in one of the following ways:
•
The printer driver CD-ROM includes Printer Diagnostics. Choose Driver Support Programs and then Printer
Diagnostics to extract installation files.
•
The downloads area of www.datacard.com includes files to install Printer Diagnostics. Choose the utilities area
and then download the Printer Diagnostics file.
Tips for Success
•
The printer driver must be installed and communicating with the printer to use Printer Diagnostics.
•
If you update the driver, also update Printer Diagnostics.
•
The Printer Diagnostics utility is intended for use by Datacard-authorized service providers, including depot and
field engineers. Service providers must be certified to repair the printer on which this utility is used. This
program is also for use by owners of Datacard printers working at the direction of their Datacard-authorized
service provider.
•
Caution: This utility provides access to values that, if changed, can disable printer operation. Printer owners
use the Printer Diagnostics utility at their own risk.
Close all applications. Do not close Windows.
Start the installation program. Do one of the following:
•
From CD-ROM:
•
Insert the Smart Driver™ CD-ROM in the PC drive. the Smart Driver™ window opens.
b Click Printer Support. The Printer Support Programs window opens.
c Click Printer Diagnostics to start the installation wizard.
From a downloaded file
Use Windows Explorer or My Computer to browse to the location of the file.
b Double-click the file to open it and click OK and then Unzip to extract files.
c Click OK when complete. The installation wizard starts.
On the installation wizard, click Next
A Prompt appearing asking whether you would like to view the Read Me First file.
Click Next to display the file in Word Pad.
b Close WordPad when you are done and ready to continue with installation.
Click Next to use the default location.
Keep the default Programs location or choose another location and then click Next to begin file copying.
Click Finish to close the installation wizard.
If you installed from CD-ROM, close the Smart Driver™ window and remove the CD-ROM.
SP Series Info Central
38
If you installed from downloaded files, you can delete the C:\Diags folder (and the downloaded file) from the
PC.
SP Series Info Central
1
application
ID software 4
button, Ready, see Ready key 4
card
design 4
factory-printed 4
faded appearance 9
magnetic stripe test 34
printing test card 4
quality 6
sample 4
test 4
color
printer test card 5
contactless cards
not working 21
errors
fixing 3
factory-printed card 4
faded cards 8
fixing problems 3
image quality
blank card 7
blank spots 13
blurred card 10
blurred photo 10
data unevenly positioned 13
discolored image 11
faded text and photo 9
high contrast 14
image not printed 7
image upside down 14
misaligned colors 8
scratches 16
spots 16
topcoat not sticking on edge 16
uneven margins 13
SP Series Info Central
unexpected colors 8
unprinted lines 7
unprinted spots 12
wavy lines 12
woodgrain 12
wrinkles in dark areas 11
laminator
patch appearance 21
supplies 2
topcoat appearance 18
magnetic stripe
on test cards 4
test card data 5
magnetic stripe module
test card 34
messages
troubleshooting 1
patch material
appearance problems 21
PC
messages 1
power off the printer 4
power on the printer 4
print
topcoat quality 16
print quality
blank card 13
See image quality 7
text missing 9
troubleshooting 6
print ribbon
lot numbers 2
type 2
printer
package for shipping 36
test card 5
troubleshooting 3
printer driver
troubleshooting 3
problems
2
fixing 3
isolating 3
proximity cards
not working 21
quality
printing 6
Ready key 4
repairs 36
RF cards
not working 21
sample cards 4
service
obtaining 36
shipping
carton 36
printer 36
software
ID software 4
starter kit 4
status light
when printing test card 5
test card
magnetic stripe 4, 34
printer 4, 5
purposes 4
requirements 4
sample 4
with magnetic stripe 4
topcoat
appearance problems 18
print panel problems 16
scratches 16
troubleshooting
getting started 1
locate the problem 3
print quality 6
SP Series Info Central
SUPPLIES AND PARTS INFO
SP Series Supplies and Parts 3
Supplies and cards 5
Print ribbons 5
Cards 6
Card quality guidelines 8
Cleaning supplies 9
Printer components 11
Printhead cartridge 11
USB data cable 12
Power supply 12
Power cable 12
Smart card cable 12
Carrying case 13
Related publications 13
SP Series Supply e-Guide
1
SP Series Supplies and Parts
The printer uses supplies, similar to a paper printer. The following describes how the supplies are similar and
different.
•
Where a paper printer uses paper that you can purchase at an office supply store, the SP Series printer uses
cards that you purchase from a dealer.
•
Similar to paper, there are different types of cards. For cards, you can use magnetic stripe cards, cards with a
signature panel, or cards with a smart card feature. You can also use cards with more than one special feature.
•
Also similar to paper, cards can be different quality. High quality cards are cleaner, smoother, more even, and
more white. They result in better printer operation and the appearance of the printed cards is more pleasing.
•
Paper printers can use an ink cartridge or a toner cartridge. Older dot-matrix printers use a print ribbon. The SP
Series printer uses a print ribbon. The print ribbon can be a single color (monochrome) like a toner cartridge, or
the print ribbon can have color panels, similar to a color ink jet cartridge. For the SP Series printer, color ribbons
have panel sets (Y=yellow, M=magenta, C=cyan, K=black, F=fluorescent, and T=topcoat), which is different
from many ink cartridges. For printers with the duplex option, you can use a color ribbon designed for two-sided
printing (Y=yellow, M=magenta, C=cyan, K=black, T=topcoat on front, K=black and T=topcoat on back). Using
different supplies for printing on two sides is also different from paper printing.
•
Paper printers that use ink can have pages that are damaged by water or other contaminants. The color (YMC)
applied to the card from the print ribbon can be damaged by ultraviolet light, solvents, and wear. To protect the
printed card, the SP Series printer applies a topcoat (T panel) after printing the color and K panels. This
protection is not available for paper pages.
•
Some paper printers include cleaning tools, and recommend using them when you change the toner cartridge.
The SP Series printers also uses cleaning supplies: a cleaning card that runs through the printer and a cleaning
sleeve that stays in the printer. With the SP Series printers, you can also use a cleaning pen.
•
Paper printers often have the ink or toner in a cartridge that also functions in applying the image to paper. The
SP Series printers use a printhead cartridge, which is separate from the print ribbon. It is different from paper
printers in this way. The printhead cartridge is replaceable.
•
For security, paper can have embossing, water marks, or non-photocopy images. For cards, you can use the F
(fluorescent) panel to provide a similar security feature. For SP Series printers with one or more laminators,
holographic or similar images can be applied as part of a topcoat or patch.
•
For durability, paper can be laminated with a thick plastic sheet that extends beyond the edge of the paper to
seal the images and the paper. Plastic cards are durable without extra laminate. In addition, SP Series printers
with one or more laminators can add durability to printed images by applying laminate material to the cards.
This section describes the supplies you use with the SP Series printer. It also describes replacement parts that you
might want to order.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
1
Supplies and cards
This section describes Datacard®-certified supplies for SP Series card printers. Specifications, part numbers, and
storage tips are provided. This section contains:
•
"Print ribbons"
•
"Laminator material"
•
"Supply roll storage guidelines"
•
"Cards"
•
"Card quality guidelines"
•
"Cleaning supplies"
Print ribbons
Ribbon kits contain a roll of print ribbon, a cleaning card, and a replaceable cleaning sleeve. Datacard®
recommends that you run a cleaning card and replace the cleaning sleeve each time you change the print ribbon.
Color print ribbon
Color print ribbon for SP Series printers uses Advanced Imaging Technology™.
The following table shows the color ribbons available and the printer(s) in which each can be used:
Name
Part number
Images
SP35
printer?
SP55
printer?
SP60
printer?
SP75
printer?
YMCKT Color Ribbon
Kit
552854-504
up to 500
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
YMCKT Color Ribbon
Kit
552854-204
up to 250
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
YMCKT-KT Color
Ribbon Kit
552854-506
up to 300
No
Yes
No
Yes
YMCKT Color Ribbon
Kit
552854-604
up to 500
No
No
Yes
No
YMCKT-KT Color
Ribbon Kit
552854-606
up to 300
No
No
Yes
No
YMCK Color Ribbon Kit
552854-502
up to 500
No
No
No
Yes
YMCK-K Color Ribbon
Kit
552854-510
up to 500
No
No
No
Yes
YMCKF-KT Color
Ribbon Kit
552854-514
up to 300
No
No
No
Yes
The SP Series printer features Datacard® proprietary ribbons designed specifically for the SP Series printer. When
the printer recognizes that a Datacard® ribbon is installed, all enhanced product features are enabled and
successful card printing can begin. The printer will only print color images when Datacard® proprietary color
ribbons are installed. Datacard® is your exclusive source for proprietary ribbons for the SP Series printer.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
2
Monochrome and Topcoat ribbon
Ribbon with alternating Monochrome (K) and Topcoat (T) panels is available for SP Series printers as part of the
KT Color Ribbon Kit, part number 552854-509. A roll of ribbon prints up to 1000 images.
Monochrome print ribbon
Several colors of monochrome (single-color) print ribbon are available for SP Series printers. A roll of ribbon prints
up to 1500 images (if ribbon-saver is not used).
Available colors include:
Color
Part number
SP35
printer?
SP55
printer?
SP60
printer?
SP75
printer?
Black
552954-501
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Black HQ
552954-601
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Dark Blue
552954-502
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
White
552954-503
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Red
552954-504
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Green
552954-506
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Silver
552954-507
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Gold
552954-508
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Scratch-off
552954-513
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Metallic Silver
552954-607
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Metallic Gold
552954-608
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Metallic Holographic
Fleck
552954-609
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
When you use most monochrome-only print ribbons in SP35, SP55, and SP60 printers, use a printhead cartridge
designed for monochrome printing for optimum results. For most card designs, you can print with a Black HQ
ribbon using a color printhead. When you use a color ribbon that includes a K (monochrome or black) panel, use a
color printhead cartridge. See "Printhead cartridge" for details.
Laminator material
This section applies only to the SP75 printer.
Datacard provides two types of materials for use in laminators:
•
Datacard® Duragard® laminate, which has die-cut patches sized to fit on a card
•
Topcoat, which is a continuous film
For more information about these materials, see Laminator Setup.
Available laminator material includes:
Name
SP Series Supply e-Guide
Part number
Appearance
Type
3
DuraGard laminate
562750-001
Clear
0.5 Mil
DuraGard laminate
562751-001
Clear
0.5 Mil smart card
DuraGard laminate
562752-001
Clear
0.5 Mil magnetic stripe
DuraGard laminate
562753-001
Clear
1.0 Mil
DuraGard laminate
562754-001
Clear
1.0 Mil smart card
DuraGard laminate
562755-001
Clear
1.0 Mil magnetic stripe
DuraGard laminate
562756-001
Holographic
0.6 Mil
DuraGard laminate
562757-001
Holographic
Registered
0.6 Mil
DuraGard laminate
562758-001
Holographic
0.6 Mil smart card
DuraGard laminate
562759-001
Holographic
Registered
0.6 Mil smart card
DuraGard laminate
562760-001
Holographic
0.6 Mil magnetic stripe
DuraGard laminate
562761-001
Holographic
Registered
0.6 Mil magnetic stripe
DuraGard laminate
562762-001
Holographic
1.0 Mil
DuraGard laminate
562763-001
Holographic
Registered
1.0 Mil
DuraGard laminate
562764-001
Holographic
1.0 Mil smart card
DuraGard laminate
562765-001
Holographic
Registered
1.0 Mil smart card
DuraGard laminate
562766-001
Holographic
1.0 Mil magnetic stripe
DuraGard laminate
562767-001
Holographic
Registered
1.0 Mil magnetic stripe
Topcoat
562810-001
Clear
Topcoat
562811-001
Holographic
Topcoat
562812-001
Holographic
Registered
You might use custom materials similar to those listed above.
Supply roll storage guidelines
Follow these guidelines when storing supply rolls:
SP Series Supply e-Guide
4
•
The print ribbon maintains its quality for about one year. For optimal card quality, purchase and store quantities
that you can use up in less than a year.
•
The print ribbon and card stock might require secure storage and tracking. Follow your policy for storing and
tracking the supplies used to make cards.
•
Choose a location away from direct sunlight, with a temperature between 32° F and 77° F or between 0°C and
25° C. A humidity range from 40% to 60% (non-condensing) is recommended.
•
Supply rolls should be at room temperature when they are installed in the printer and used. If supplies are
stored in a cooler environment than the printer, allow supplies to reach room temperature before using.
•
If the printer will not be used for an extended period of time, remove supplies from the printer and store them
with new supplies.
Cards
This section describes specifications and quality guidelines for card stock to use with the SP Series printer. It also
describes the environmental specifications for storage of card stock.
For best results with the SP Series printer, use high-quality card stock that meets the specifications and
recommendations described in this section.
Card size
Use CR-80 size cards with the following nominal dimensions:
Length
3.37 inches
85.60 mm
Width
2.125 inches
53.98 mm
Thickness with
smart card chip
(contactless)
0.030 to 0.050 inches
0.762 to 1.27 mm
Thickness with
smart card chip
(contact)
0.030 to 0.040 inches
0.762 to 1.016 mm
Thickness with
mag stripe, not
laminated
0.020 to 0.040 inches
0.508 to 1.016 mm
Thickness with
mag stripe,
laminated
SP75 only:
0.030 to 0.040 inches
0.762 to 1.016 mm
Thickness for
printing and
laminating
SP75 only:
0.030 to 0.050 inches
0.762 to 1.27 mm
Thickness for
printing only
SP35, SP55:
0.010 to 0.050 inches
0.254 to 1.27 mm
SP75:
0.020 to 0.050 inches
0.508 to 1.27 mm
Actual card thickness can vary by up to ten percent from the sizes listed. Smart card chips can be raised slightly
from the printing surface.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
5
Typically, card bow must be less than the thickness of the card.
Card material
Use cards made of the following types of material:
•
Glossy PVC surface, either 100% PVC cards or composite cards with a PVC surface.
•
Cards with a magnetic stripe on one side of the card.
•
Cards with a smart card chip on the top of the card. Depending on the module installed in the printer, contacttype, contactless, or both types of smart card chips can be programmed.
Embossed cards cannot be processed in the SP Series printer.
StickiCards
Datacard® StickiCard™ adhesive-backed cards, part number 597640-001, can be used. StickiCards are used to
make personalized cards that can be adhered to proximity cards when the card surface is not flat enough to print.
The printing surface of the StickiCard (white side) meets the material requirements for use in the printer.
When using StickiCards, follow these guidelines:
•
Store cards in a cool place (such as a refrigerator) to avoid adhesive migration.
•
Fan cards before loading them in the input hopper.
•
Clean the printer’s card tracks to remove any adhesive residue. Use the printhead cleaning pen or isopropanol
and a swab to remove the residue.
•
Use a print margin of 0.1 or 0.05 inch with StickiCards.
•
Do not apply laminator material to Stickicards.
Contactless smart cards
Contactless smart cards are also called RF (radio frequency) cards and proximity cards. Contactless smart cards
can have an irregular surface where the internal components of the card are located. You might modify the card
design to avoid printing photos or other images over the internal components of the card.
Pre-punched cards
Datacard® recommends that you punch cards after printing them. However, you can use pre-punched cards with
the SP Series printer as long as the hole is free of raised areas or burrs. In the following illustration, the gray area
shows where punched areas are allowed.
•
The cards can only have a punched area within 1.0 in (25.4 mm) of the left-hand edge, as the cards are loaded
in the input hopper. (This dimension includes tolerance.)
•
If the card has a magnetic stripe, the card cannot be punched anywhere in the stripe.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
6
•
Applying DuraGard patch to pre-punched cards is not recommended, unless you punch the card after
laminating to remove the patch material.
New cards preferred
The SP Series printer is designed to print on new card stock. If you print on cards twice, be careful to avoid getting
dirt, fingerprints, or other contamination on cards before the second printing. Previous printing can interfere with
printing and result in cards that do not have the appearance you want. Printing on cards that have been issued
might introduce substances that interfere with card printing or damage the printer. See Card appearance problems
to address card appearance problems with pre-printed cards.
If a previously printed card has been printed with topcoat, the card cannot be printed a second time.
Card quality guidelines
Your cards must meet the following card quality guidelines for the printer to print high quality graphics on them
successfully.
Card surface
•
The card must be free of irregularities such as particles embedded in the surface.
•
The card surface must be smooth and even. Surface irregularities can cause loss of contact, resulting in
printing (or laminating) voids.
•
The printing surface must be glossy. It cannot have a matte finish (see "Card material" for more information).
•
Card edges must be free of raised burrs, which can cause unprinted (or unlaminated) areas on cards (printing
voids). This is especially true when printing edge-to-edge.
Card handling
These guidelines apply to unprinted cards. Any debris or particles on an unprinted card’s surface can reduce print
quality and damage the printhead. Grease or oils, such as oils from your fingers, also reduce print quality.
•
Keep cards completely clean.
•
Do not touch the print surface of a card with your fingers or hands.
•
Do not use a rubber band to bind blank cards together.
•
If you drop a card on the floor, do not insert it into the printer.
Card storage
These guidelines apply to both printed and unprinted cards.
•
Cards must be stacked so that they will not shift and rub against each other.
•
When storing cards, make sure that no two cards contain images or blocks of color that will come in contact
with each other.
•
Make sure that the magnetic stripe on one card does not come in contact with the magnetic stripe on another
card.
•
Make sure that cards with magnetic stripes are stored away from magnets and other magnetic objects.
Card storage specifications
The cards should be stored in a cool, dry, and dark place. Excessive light can cause yellowing of cards on exposed
edges. Keep cards in their original packaging.
Cards should be at room temperature when they are installed in the printer and used. If cards are stored in a cooler
environment than the printer, allow them to reach room temperature before using.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
7
Cleaning supplies
The printer uses the following cleaning supplies.
•
Printer cleaning cards
•
Replaceable cleaning sleeves
•
Printhead cleaning pen
•
Laminator cleaning cards (SP75 only)
The print ribbon kit includes a cleaning card and a replaceable cleaning sleeve. Datacard® recommends that you
keep additional cleaning supplies on hand to address unusual situations.
You can order:
•
A package of 5 replaceable cleaning sleeves, part number is 549716-002.
•
A package of 10 printer cleaning cards, part number is 552141-002.
•
A cleaning pen, part number is 557492-001, which can be used eight times, to clean the printhead or other
internal parts of the printer.
For the SP75 printer only, a package of 10 laminator cleaning cards, part number 558436-001.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
1
Printer components
This section describes the additional or replacement printer parts you can order. This section contains:
•
"Printhead cartridge"
•
"Print ribbon cartridge"
•
"Cleaning roller spindle"
•
"Printer Guide holder"
•
"USB data cable"
•
"Power supply"
•
"Power cable"
•
"Smart card cable"
•
"Carrying case"
•
"Laminator cartridge"
•
"High-capacity output hopper"
•
"Related publications"
Printhead cartridge
The printer has a replaceable printhead cartridge. The printhead is subject to wear or damage and has a direct
impact on print quality. The silver label on the printhead shows the printhead type. The following printheads are
available.
Printhead type
Printhead
label
Part number
SP35
printer?
SP55
printer?
SP60
printer?
SP75
printer?
Full color
YMC
551439-999
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Monochrome
551439-998
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Do not touch the printing edge of the printhead in the printhead cartridge. If you do, use the cleaning pen to clean it.
For steps to follow, see Cleaning the printhead.
Print ribbon cartridge
You can purchase an additional print ribbon cartridge.The print ribbon cartridge is part number 551516-999.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
2
Cleaning roller spindle
The cleaning roller spindle holds the replaceable cleaning sleeve. The part number is 551148-001.
Printer Guide holder
The Printer Guide holder attaches to the printer to keep the Printer Guide available to users. The part number is
558359-001.
USB data cable
SP Series printers can use a USB data cable to connect the printer to the PC.
•
SP55, SP60, and SP75 printers use a USB cable with part number 807614-001.
•
The SP35 printer uses a USB cable with part number 807614-002
You must provide a network data cable if you use one.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
3
Power supply
SP35, SP55, and SP60 printers use a power supply rated at 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz. The power supply is part
number 808403-001.
Power cable
The printer uses one of the following power cords:
•
U.S. power cable (part number 804517-001)
•
European power cable (part number 806842-001)
•
Australian power cable (part number 806842-002)
•
United Kingdom power cable (part number 806842-003)
•
Danish power cable (part number 806842-004)
•
Indian power cable (part number 806842-005)
•
Israeli power cable (part number 806842-006)
•
Italian power cable (part number 806842-007)
•
Swiss power cable (part number 806842-008)
•
Chinese power cable (part number 806842-009)
•
Japanese power cable (part number 806913-001)
Smart card cable
If the printer has a smart card module, it uses a smart card cable to connect the smart card port and the PC. Use a
cable that matches the port(s) installed in the printer. The following cables are available:
•
Serial cable
•
USB cable
Serial cable
The smart card serial cable must be a shielded DB9 serial cable, up to 3 meters long maximum. The smart card
serial cable is part number 805815-004.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
4
USB cable
The USB cable must be a Type CM 30V, up to a maximum of 2 meters long. The smart card USB cable is part
number 807614-001.
Carrying case
The carrying case for an SP35, SP55, and SP60 printer is part number 553950-002.
Laminator cartridge
For the SP75 printer only, the laminator cartridge is part number 558318-999.
High-capacity output hopper
For the SP75 printer only, the optional high-capacity output hopper kit is part number 564051-001. Holds up to 100
cards.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
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Related publications
This section describes publications for the printer.
•
SP35 Printer Guide, part number 553772-003
This manual provides basic information about using the printer and driver, and how to care for the printer. It also
includes the warranty statement and the installation report.
•
SP35 Installation Map, part number 539252-002
This sheet provides a streamlined installation process for typical one-printer-to-a-PC installation. It also shows
supplies and equipment shipped with the printer.
•
SP55 Printer Guide, part number 554733-002
This manual provides basic information about using the printer and driver, and how to care for the printer. It also
includes the warranty statement and the installation report.
•
SP55 Installation Map, part number 539336-001
This sheet provides a streamlined installation process for typical one-printer-to-a-PC installation. It also shows
supplies and equipment shipped with the printer.
•
SP Series Network Printer Guide, part number 554733-002
This manual provides basic information about using the SP55 printer with the built-in Ethernet and Open Card
options and the SP60 printer, and how to care for the printer. It also includes the warranty statement and the
installation report.
•
SP Series Network Quick Install Guide, part number 539336-001
This guide provides streamlined installation processes for local and network installation of the SP55 printer with
the built-in Ethernet and Open Card options and the SP60 printer. It also shows supplies and equipment
shipped with the printer.
•
SP75 Quick Install Guide, part number 559455-001
This manual provides basic information about using the printer and driver, and how to care for the printer. It also
includes the warranty statement and the installation report.
•
SP75 Installation Map, part number 539410-001
This sheet provides a streamlined installation process for typical one-printer-to-a-PC installation. It also shows
supplies and equipment shipped with the printer.
•
SP Series Info Central, part number 539289-001
The online e-Guide provides advanced information, such as how to connect two printers to one PC. Info Central
collects all the online information under one desktop icon. It can be download from www.datacard.com or
installed from the User Information area of the driver CD-ROM.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
6
•
Smart Driver™ API Software Developer's Manual, part number 526720-001
This manual is part of the Smart Driver™ Software Developer's Kit (557214-001) and provides information to
programmers who are developing applications to print to Datacard® printers, including the SP Series printers.
This manual is available only as part of the kit.
•
SP Series Service Library CD-ROM, part number 539445-001
This CD provides information to service providers who maintain or repair SP series printers.
SP Series Supply e-Guide
5
cable
data 12
power cord 12
serial 12
smart card 12
USB 12
card
cleaning 9
contactless specifications 7
handling 8
material 7
pre-punched 7
printing twice 8
quality 8
size 7
specifications 6
StickICards 7
storage 8
thickness 7
carrying case 13
cartridge
printhead 11
cleaning
card 9
pen 9
roller 9
sleeve 9
spindle part number 11
StickICards 7
supplies 9
color
ribbon, see print ribbon 5
contactless smart card 7
cord
data cable 12
power 12
serial cable 12
data cable 12
environment
card temperature 9
SP Series Supply e-Guide
6
humidity
supplies storage 6
power
cord 12
supply 12
print quality
edge-to-edge 7
print ribbon
cartridge 11
part numbers 5
storing 6
type 5
printer
components 11
printer parts
carrying case 13
cleaning roller spindle 11
power supply 12
print ribbon cartridge 11
printhead cartridge 11
publications 13
USB data cable 12
printer supplies 5
printhead
cleaning 9
printhead cartridge
part number 11
printing
monochrome 6
same card twice 8
proximity card 7
publications 13
punched card 7
quality
cards 6
supplies 6
radio frequency (RF) cards 7
replaceable cleaning sleeve 9
requirements
SP Series Supply e-Guide
7
card storage 9
ribbon, See print ribbon 5
serial cable
smart card 12
smart card
contactless 7
proximity 7
RF 7
serial cable 12
Software Developer’s Kit 13
storage
cards 9
supplies 6
supplies
authorized 5
cleaning 9
storage 6
temperature
supplies storage 6
USB
cable 12
SP Series Supply e-Guide

---

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