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
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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.
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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 |
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Print is faded or too light when printing self-test
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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. |
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Barcode ANSI grade is low or won't scan
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The print is smearing or rubbing off | ![]() |
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The ribbon is wrinkling | ![]() |
If the ribbon is wrinkling:
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White lines in the print | ![]() |
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The image is cut off on the right | ![]() |
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Helpful Information:
Utilities and Drivers
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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
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.