Loading the Ribbon Into ZT411 and ZT421 printers

IMPORTANT! You are not required to turn off the printer power when working near an open printhead, but Zebra recommends it as a precaution. If you turn off the power, you will lose all temporary settings, such as label formats, and you must reload them before you resume printing.

  
Watch this video or read the steps below on how to perform media and ribbon loading:
 

Use a ribbon that is wider than the media to protect the printhead from wear. The ribbon must be coated on the outside for use in a standard printer. For more information, refer to ZT411 and ZT421 Colour Touch User Guide: Determine the Type of Ribbon to Use.


Procedure:
 

1.  Raise the media door.

 

2. Open the printhead assembly by rotating the printhead-open lever upward.

 

3. Place the roll of ribbon on the ribbon supply spindle with the loose end of the ribbon unrolling as shown. Push the ribbon roll as far back as possible.

 

4.  Bring the ribbon under the printhead assembly and around its left side, as shown.

 

5.  With the ribbon tracking as far back as it can under the printhead assembly, wrap the ribbon around the ribbon take-up spindle. Rotate the spindle several turns in the direction shown to tighten and align the ribbon.

6. Is the media already loaded in the printer? 

           No - Continue with loading the Media, see Loading the Label Roll Into ZT411 and ZT421 Printers.
           Yes - See below steps to complete ribbon loading:

1. Rotate the printhead-open lever downward until it locks the printhead in place.

   

2.  Close the media door.

3. Press PAUSE to exit pause mode and enable printing.

 

NOTE In a ZT411, the ribbon sensor is located here:

 

Helpful Information:

• User Guide: ZT411 and ZT421 Colour Touch