Resolving Print Quality Issues on G Series Desktop Printers

Article ID: 10486032

Issue / Question

• Light print or faded image

• Partially missing print or cut-off

• Broken bars or lines in a barcode

• Poor or low barcode ANSI grade

• White lines in the print

Applicable To

G-Series Printers

Resolution / Answer

NOTE The printer can be configured using any number of applications, utilities, or using a Zebra Printer Driver. If there are changes that are needed for the printer settings, determine your application's method used to alter these settings.

For example: If you need to increase or decrease the darkness setting, you will need to determine if this action is performed on your driver, or application, or both. Zebra provides utilities for printer setup (refer to Helpful Information below) but once you have established your application driver or software or program, you will need to determine the methods used for modification of the printer settings.

Overview

Print quality is a product of proper printer setup and the use of compatible media for the application. The four impacting factors to consider are:

Media and Ribbon (if used) capabilities
Not all media are the same when it comes to being compatible with your application or needs. Printing speed, the durability of the image or media, environment are just a few factors to consider when determining the printer setup for the application. Trying to compensate for poor media compatibility by using high printhead pressure and/or darkness settings can impact your printer’s printhead life.

Printhead Pressure
There are no printhead pressure adjustments on the G-Series Printer.

Print Speed
The printer is capable of printing at multiple print speeds. The speed selection takes the media or ribbon (if used) compatibilities into consideration since if high darkness settings are required to achieve acceptable print, then slower rates should be used. If your application requires the highest print speeds available, be sure your media supplier has recommended the correct media for your application.

For example: To set the print speed using the ZebraDesigner Driver, follow these steps:
(Go to Printing Preferences > Options > Print Speed).
For more information, refer to the ZebraDesigner Driver Printer Configuration Printing Preferences vs Printing Defaults.

Print Darkness
Print Darkness also referred to as (Density or Burn Temperature) is a user-adjustable setting. Avoid overheating the ribbon as it can melt if it is set too high. Try varying the darkness to produce the best print quality.

For example: To set the darkness using the ZebraDesigner Driver, follow these steps:
(Go to Printing Preferences > Options > Darkness). For more information, refer to the ZebraDesigner Driver Printer Configuration Printing Preferences vs Printing Defaults article.

IMPORTANT! All printer settings can be impacted by commands from a mismatched or misconfigured driver or software application. A printer that is functioning fine after setup but fails or indicates an error after label requests are received is most likely affected by the host side misconfiguration of the driver or printer software settings. The host device that generates the printer commands for printing typically has a setup configuration that sends these as commands to the printer. Make sure all settings match the printer settings to avoid intermittent issues.

Problems and Resolutions

Problem

Example

Resolution

Print is faded or too light when printing self-test

NOTE If the problem occurs after printing from your application, verify your driver/software configurations.

NOTE If there is a flood coating or preprint on the label surface where the print issue is occurring check with your supplier for corrective action.

Clean the Printhead.
- Contamination can cover the elements preventing heat transfer.
- Refer to this article: Video: LP or TLP Series Printer Printhead Cleaning.

Increasing the Burn Temp.
- Refer to: User Guide: Adjusting the Printer Width.

Media must be matched if the ribbon is used, applicable to (TLP2824 Plus Only) and if no ribbon is used, verify the quality of the Direct Thermal stock. Check with your media supplier if you have tried all suggestions without success.

Lower the print speed.
- Refer to: User Guide: Adjusting the Printer Width.

Verify the ribbon is not slipping due to improper loading. Look at the spent ribbon and observe the image is a negative of the printed image on the label. If it is shorter or compressed, see if the ribbon is sticking or if the ribbon core is not properly loaded on the spindle.

Ensure you have the correct power supply for your printer. Look at the label on the power supply.
- Refer to this article: Using the Wrong G-Series Power Supply Causes Light Print or Grinding Noises.

The platen or the retaining bearings may be worn resulting in reduced printhead pressure. Consider your service options for platen and bearing replacement.
- Refer to this article: Cleaning and Replacement for the G-Series Platen Roller.

Print is faded or too light on the left or right side

Refer to Label Properties to view the left or right side of the label.

The printhead latch may not be closing properly. Verify both sides latch correctly.

Check the platen roller for wear. If you use varying widths of labels, check to see if there is wear or compression in the narrower media area of the platen.

Barcode ANSI grade is low or won't scan

NOTE It is common to have the darkness set too high and cause bar spreading. This may look visually better but it causes the spaces to be reduced lowering the barcode grade.

Darkness is too high or low. Check the driver or application darkness settings.
- Refer to: User Guide: Adjusting the Printer Width.

Verify your quiet zone is 10x the narrow bar width. Barcodes too close to the edge may not scan.

Check for printhead element problems when printing the Pause test. Missing elements may create problems with the bars in the barcode. Print a configuration label (One Flash Feed Button) and look at the box around the text. It should be a solid line with no white stripes in the direction of travel.
- Refer to: Button Flash Details.

The print is smearing or rubbing off

Media and ribbon mismatch
- The ribbon ink will rub off the label if it is not matched for the media. Verify your ribbon and media are properly matched for your application.

The ribbon is wrinkling

If the ribbon is wrinkling:

Verify the printer ribbon is properly loaded.
- Refer to: User Guide: Loading Transfer Ribbon.

Verify the media guides are properly adjusted to prevent horizontal wandering.

Assure the printhead is properly latched on both sides

White lines in the print

Clean the printhead elements.
- Build-up can cause lines in the print. Aggressive cleaning with cleaning film is sometimes needed if there is a baked residue that fails to be removed by swabs.
- Refer to this article: Video: LP or TLP Series Printer Printhead Cleaning.

The printhead element(s) may have failed and the printer requires service.

The image is cut off on the right

Verify the PRINT WIDTH is set correctly in the Driver or application. This can also be set with the button flash method.
- Refer to: G Series Desktop Adjusting the Print Width.

If using ribbon, ensure the ribbon is wider than the labels.

Verify there is no debris or label stuck to the printhead covering the print elements.

Helpful Information:

Utilities and Drivers

Application or Utility	Comment
Zebra Setup Utility Refer to: Zebra Setup Utilities: Downloading ZSU and Configuring Printer Settings	This is a free Windows-based utility that features a printer setup wizard for simple printer or network setup.
ZebraNet Bridge Refer to: Setup or Modifying a Zebra Printer Configuration Using ZebraNet Bridge	This is an enterprise application for network printer management but it is free to use for configuring a network or locally connected printer.
ZebraNet Print Server Webpage Refer to: Using the ZebraNet Print Server Web Page to Configure the Printer	The ZebraNet Print Server has a Webpage that is accessed from a browser when you enter the printer's IP Address. Printer configurations can be viewed and altered.
ZebraDesigner Driver Refer to: Configure or Modify Basic ZebraDesigner Driver Settings Information	If you are using the ZebraDesigner Driver, there is a Printing Preferences section that allows you to configure your printer.

Self-Test Print
A printer self-test label can be used to determine if the given print quality issue is seen from the printer itself and to test any changes made on the printer as you are troubleshooting the issue.

Print a test label using the Feed Button method.
Refer to: Printing a Test (Printer Configuration) Label.

Print Speed

The printer operates at the selected speed in terms of inches/mm per second. That is because the print quality is affected by print speed, media, ribbon (if thermal transfer), and printer operating modes, it is important to run tests for your application to choose the optimal print speed setting. Slowing down the print speed can also help if the print is too light.

Darkness
The darkness level can be set directly on the printer, through the button flash method. Refer to the User Guide: Feed Button Modes for more information.

Methods used to alter your print speed and darkness varies based on your application:

The Zebra Setup Utility can be used to configure the print speed and darkness settings. Refer to Zebra Setup Utilities: Downloading ZSU and Configuring Printer Settings for more information.
If your application is printing through the Zebra Designer Driver, refer to Configure or Modify Basic ZebraDesigner Driver Settings Information.
If your application is printing through a 3rd party driver, contact the vendor's technical support.
If you are using EPL code in your application. Refer to EPL2 Command Information and Details for more information.
If you are using ZPL code in your application. Refer to Setting the Print Speed on a Zebra Printer for more information.

Configuration Label

The configuration label will let you view the present printer settings. Your printer supports two languages. (ZPL preferred) Use the method supported by the language your printer is using to see the printer configurations.

To view the printer's current EPL configuration, refer to 2824 / 2844 / 3842 Series -- Viewing the Printer Configuration for more details.
To view the printer's current ZPL configuration. For more information, refer to Viewing the Printer's Configuration on a Desktop Printer.

+ Product Codes

G-Series GC Desktop Printers
G-Series GK Desktop Printers
G-Series GT Desktop Printers
G-Series GX Desktop Printers
GC420d Desktop Printer
GC420t Desktop Printer
GK420 Healthcare Desktop Printers
GK420d Desktop Printer
GK420d Healthcare Desktop Printer
GK420t Desktop Printer
GK420t Healthcare Desktop Printer
GX420Rx Desktop Printer
GX420d Desktop Printer
GX420t Desktop Printer
GX430d Desktop Printer
GX430t Desktop Printer

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