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End Of Service Life (EOSL) Zebra no longer provide services or support for 105SL Series products. This knowledge article is for your reference only and is no longer proactively updated.
For more details, refer to Discontinued Printers. If you are interested to upgrade your products, Contact Zebra.
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This product is discontinued and is no longer supported.
The replacement for the 105SL is the ZT510. For more details on the replacement click here:
https://www.zebra.com/gb/en/products/printers/industrial/zt510.html
The below Knowledge Article is for your reference only and is no longer updated.The Zebra Printer can be used in a wide variety of applications using many different media combinations to suit your printing needs. This flexibility is due to the printer's ability to be configured and adjusted for all the variability an application may introduce. Understanding the printer configurations will enhance your ability to optimize your printer to meet your printing needs.
The printer comes from the factory set to tear-off mode and adjusted for full with paper label stock with wax ribbon. Many printing applications will function with these factory settings and require no additional adjustments beyond the communications setup and minor darkness adjustment.
Important: All printer settings can be impacted by commands from a mis-matched 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 are 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 have setup configuration that send these as commands to the printer. Make sure all settings match the printer settings to avoid intermittent issues.
Media Related Settings and Calibration 1.
Understanding your mediaThe Zebra Printer supports the use of many types and shapes of label/tags and knowing your media detail is important for proper configuration.
Here are the details you should know for printer media setup and configuration.
Media Related Configurations>Media Type – Continuous, Gap/Notch, and Black Mark. Default is Gap/Notch
Read More>> Helpful Info - Media identification details
Read More>> >Print Method – Thermal Transfer (Using Ribbon) or Direct Thermal (No Ribbon) – Default - Thermal Transfer
Read More>>. >Print Mode – Tear off, Cutter, Peel – Default is Tear off
Read More>>This is related to the label presentation after printing and limited to the options you have installed.
Read More>> >Media Loading - The media must be properly loaded for the Print Mode you intend to use.
<TOP> 2.
Understanding the Media SensorsThe printer comes with two sensors for label tracking based on the Media Type used.
Transmissive Sensor – This is a two piece adjustable position sensor (upper and lower) that can be positioned over the label gap, notch or hole to detect the top of form. It can be viewed from the rear of the print mechanism where the media is loaded.
See the Transmissive Upper Sensor
Read More>> See the Transmissive Lower Sensor
Read More>> Reflective Sensor - This is an optional media sensor used for detecting black marks or black bar on the media backing. This sensor, if present, can be seen when the printhead is opened from the front of the printer. There is a red light that can be seen when the printer is powered on. See the Reflective Black Mark Sensor
Read More>><TOP>3. Positioning the moveable sensorThe moveable or adjustable position xxxx Sensor must be placed so the top of form can be detected. This can be an inter-label gap, a hole, or notch. When using typical labels on a backing with an inter-label gap, the sensor can be positioned along the width of the label as long as it is not over the rounded edge. If using a hole or notch position the sensor's red light directly under the hole or notch so it is seen as the labels feed. Here are more details on positioning the moveable sensor
Read More>> 4. Media Feed Power up actionThe printer can be configured to position or calibrate the media after head closure or when powered on. These are configured using the LCD Display or can be configured from your utility/application.
These configurations are detailed as follows
- Calibrate (Default)
- Feed
- Length
- No Motion
- Short Cal
Setting the Media Feed (Power Up Action) on the printer
Read More>>For recommendations on these selections
Read More>><TOP>5. Maximum Label Length Note: You probably don't have to change this from the 39" default so ignore the Maximum Label Length discussion if you have defaulted the printer or are setting the printer up for the first time. If your printer is feeding less than a label length and experiencing a Media Out Error then you may want to see if this setting was incorrectly configured.
Label Length Max setting. It should be noted that if the printer Maximum Length setting is changed from the default 39” it should be set to a value 1 inch longer than the longest label you intend to use. For example, on a 203dpi printer using a 6" label, set the Maximum Length value to 7". ( 7x203 = 1421) Here is the ZPL - ^XA^ML1421^XZ
Read More>> To view the existing MAXIMUM LENGTH setting on the printer print a configuration label or request a configuration from your host
Printing or Downloading the Configuration Settings of a Zebra ZPL Compatible Printer>Setting the Label Length Maximum<
LCD Display - MAXIMUM LENGTH (Set to 1" longer than the actual length)
There are no settings in the Zebra SetUp Utility so if required create a ZPL file with the recommended Maximum Label Length- Example:
^XA^MLxxxxx^XZ (Sets the length in dots)
^XA^JUS^XZ. (Saves the value)
Send the file using your utility or application.
ZebraDesigner Driver and the Send File Feature <TOP>6. Calibrate the printer for the media. - (This step assumes you have not changed the Media Feed Power Up Action from the default Calibrate setting)
- With media loaded power on the printer
- The printer should complete the power on selftest and begin to feed labels
- The printer should stop feeding labels and be in the printer ready state
- Press the FEED button several times. A single label should feed and come to the same resting position each time.
- The printer has been calibrated successfully.
If the printer fails to feed properly or there is a Media Out indication, perform the Manual Calibration Procedure
Read More>>
<TOP>Ribbon SetupThis applies to applications where the use of ribbon is required. This is referred to as Thermal Transfer printing where an inked ribbon is used to produce the image on the label.
Ribbon Basics This explains the ribbon types and typical darkness and speed selections
Read More>>Ribbon Detection and Loading - The printer uses uses a reflective plate and an sensor that shines and receives light to detect the presence of ribbon. The ribbon is loaded between the sensor and the reflector plate
Read More>>Ribbon Configuration - Selecting Thermal Transfer if you are using Ribbon, Direct Thermal if you are not using Ribbon.
Read More>> <TOP>Print QualityPrint quality is a product of proper printer setup and use of compatible media for the application. The four impacting factors to consider are:
1. The
Media and Ribbon (if used) capabilities. Not all media is the same when it comes to being compatible with your application or needs. Printing speed , durability of the image/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.
2. Printhead Pressure You may need to adjust printhead pressure if printing is too light on one side, if you use thick media, or if the media drifts from side to side during printing. Use the lowest printhead pressure necessary to produce good print quality. Uneven pressure will cause ribbon wrinkle, poor print quality, and horizontal media drift.
Adjusting the printhead pressure on a 105SL Printer
Read More>>Printhead Pressure Details
Read More>>3. Print Speed The printer is capable of printing at multiple print speeds. The speed selection take the media/ribbon (if used) compatibilities into consideration since if high Darkness and Pressure 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.
Setting the Print Speed on a Zebra Printer4.
Print DarknessPrint Darkness (also may be referred to as Density or Burn Temperature) is a user adjustable setting. If you have an LCD Display the setting can be adjusted and changes to the darkness observed during printing. You can also use a setup utility or the printer webpage if available to set the print darkness. Avoid over heating the ribbon as it can melt if set too high. Vary the darkness to produce the best print quality.
Setting the Print Speed on a Zebra Printer Setting the darkness using the ZPL commands
Read More>> <TOP>Communications SetupUSB - The 105SL does not support USB communications.
SerialRS232 Null Modem, all parameters must be matched on the printer and host
105SL Communicating to printer via serial port connectionParallelIf the printer has a parallel port use an IEEE1284 compatible cable
105SL Parallel Port Communications InformationWired Ethernet Network - Printers that include a ZebraNet Print Server option can be connected to an Ethernet Network.
If your network supports DHCP the printer can obtain an IP Address when the cable is connected.
Configuring a printer with the ZebraNet Option
ZebraNet Print Server - Install, Setup, Configure, and Troubleshoot on a Wired NetworkYou can use one of the following Utilities to set specific parameters or set a permanent IP address for your printer queue.
ZebraNet Bridge can be used to discover and assign the desired network settings.
Discover and Configure TCP/IP Settings Using ZebraNet BridgeThe Zebra Setup Utility has a network setup wizard that can be used to configure your printer for a wired or wireless network
Configuring Connectivity for Wired or Wireless Networks using the Zebra Setup Utility<TOP> Printing App or ProgramZebra printers are command interpretation engines using printer commands to to define the printed images. The printer must receive the commands in the supported printer language such as ZPL, EPL, CPCL. The printer will not respond if the label format received does not contain the required programming commands for label printing. Programming commands can be entered into a file and communicated to the printer, received as an output through a driver from an application, or created using one of many Zebra Label Software packages on the market.
For a general overview of this information
Read More>> <TOP> Utilities and Drivers
