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Setting up the ZD620 Printer

You will learn how to set up the Zebra ZD620 printer in Bravo, including hardware connections, driver installation, and calibration for label accuracy.

How to setup and troubleshoot the ZD620 Zebra Label Printer (The Normal Way)

Attached to this article is the DRS file for the Printing Preferences labeled
Jewelry: "ATags ZD620.drs"
General: "Labels.drs"

 

 

First you will want to make sure you have access to the manual in case you need to look up any additional troubleshooting material, steps, or guidelines.

 

You can find that here at the link below.

https://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra_new_ia/en-us/manuals/printers/desktop/zd620-zd420/zd620-zd420-ug-en.pdf

 

Next you will need to remove the printer, and the power cable from the box, then with a CAT6 Cable connect the printer to the power, and your network switch to begin the install process.

 

 

Once both the power cable and the network ethernet (CAT6) cable is connected to the appropriate power source and network switch then you are ready to begin to load in the Roll of labels.

 

To load the proper labels into your printer you will need to press the two yellow tabs on the left and right of the printer to open the printer hatch.

 

 

Once the hatch is open you will be able to see the print head and the media guides. With your finger you will need to press the media guides outward and then load the roll onto the media guides by placing the cardboard tube onto the peg holders. Then take the labels over the top and guide them into the media guides. You will then need to take the media sensor, which is a little tiny sliding yellow sensor and place them directly into the center of where the Label will sit.

Once the media censor is in the center of the label then pull the labels until then are flush with the tear off point. Once Flush you can then gently close the print head.

 

 

Once you have loaded the labels and closed the print head you are ready to perform a media calibration.

 

Now when you power on the printer it will need to POST. This is a self-test.

 

A Power-On Self-Test (POST) is performed each time the printer power is turned ON. During this test, the control panel indicators turn on and off to ensure proper operation. At the end of this self-test, only the STATUS indicator remains lit.

 

Now lets get into what is called THE SMART CALIBRATION.

 

The SmartCal Media Calibration SmartCal is used to quickly calibrate the printer to the media currently loaded. During SmartCal, the printer will automatically determine the media sensing type (gap, black line or notch) and then measure the length of the media. To activate Smart Calibration, complete these steps:

  1. Make sure media is properly loaded, the printer cover is closed, and printer power is ON.
  2. Press and hold PAUSE + CANCEL buttons for two seconds.
  3. The printer will FEED and measure several labels. When done, the printer will return to READY status

 

Now if you can not get the printer calibrated correctly then you can use the MANUAL MEDIA CALIBRATION steps.

 

In order to enter the manual media calibration, you will need to enter what is called “THE ADVANCED MODE”

 

(image files The status indicator, the Media Indicator, the PAUSE indicator)

 

The Media Indicator

The Pause Indicator

The Status indicator

 

 

 

 

Advanced Mode is used to access several manual adjustment modes in the printer. Each manual adjustment mode is described in detail in the following sections. To activate Advanced Mode, complete these steps:

  1. Ensure media is loaded and printer power is ON.
  2. Press PAUSE for two seconds; all indicators will flash yellow.
  3. The STATUS indicator   will show solid yellow, indicating the currently selected mode is: Manual Media Calibration.
  4. Pressing FEED will sequentially cycle through all available modes.
  5. Pressing PAUSE will activate the selected mode.
  6. Pressing CANCEL will exit Advanced Mode.

 

 

ONCE in ADVANCED MODE you can then enter the MANUAL MEDIA CALIBRATION mode.

 

Manual Media Calibration While in Advanced Mode, pressing PAUSE while the Status indicator is illuminated yellow will start Manual Media Calibration.

 

  1. The MEDIA indicator will flash yellow then the Pause indicator   will flash. Open the printer and verify the media sensor is in the center position for label gap (transmissive) sensing. Remove 3 inches or 80mm of labels from the liner. Place the label-less area of the liner over the platen (drive) roller with the leading edge of the first label under the media guides.
  2. Close the printer and press PAUSE once. The MEDIA indicator will flash as the media liner is measured. When complete, the Pause indicator   will begin flashing.
  3. Open the printer and reposition the media so that a label is located directly above the movable sensor. Close the printer.
  4. Press PAUSE once. The printer will FEED and measure several labels. If the printer is able to determine the correct media type (gap, black mark or notch) and measure the media length, the printer will return to the READY state.

 

 This advanced mode is typically used to calibrate the printer to media that is not correctly recognized during Smart Calibration. If your media uses black mark or notch sensing, ensure the media sensor is into the proper location to “see” the mark or notch. If your media is pre-printed, either on the front of the label or on the back of the liner, position the sensor so that it is in a position with minimal printing. You may need to perform Manual Media Calibration several times, moving the media sensor, until the printer completes the calibration process and returns to the READY state.

 

 

GREAT! Now that you have calibrated the printer to the individual roll of labels, you are now ready to INSTALL THIS PRINTER!!

 

The next steps will be to install the ZEBRA SETUP UTILITIES program from the ZEBRA website.

In order to download the zebra setup utilities, you will need to visit the following site.

 

https://www.zebra.com/us/en/support-downloads/printer-software/printer-setup-utilities.html

 

Or click here to download directly.

https://www.zebra.com/us/en/support-downloads/eula/unrestricted-eula.-227178c9720c025483893483886ea540bd07dd0f9873752cf891686eb495040ba85f97bf163f9fdbc62ce8bbe325bdf95347bc39767aa16a8a1229bd7549bec4ab84efac5b40592822eada672e433843b9b8a9e204a634f1d96cd2cff1d2373970584916ad0dbdd.html#

 

 

 

 

 

Once downloaded you will need to install the app.

 

Lets install the app now!

 

  1. Launch the download and run the file.
  1. After you have installed the Zebra Setup Utilities, it will then launch the app itself.
     
      1. You will need to select INSTALL NEW PRINTER from the top right of the window.


      2. When the “PrnInst” window open click next.


      3. Select INSTALL PRINTER and click next.


      4. You will need to select the ZDesigner ZD620-203DPI ZPL driver from this list. DO NOT SELECT THE 300DPI option.


      5. Here you will want to name it “Labels” for General Merchandise and “ATags” for jewelry, or “SpecialLabels” for price slasher labels
      6. Then select “ADD PORT”


      7. Once you click “ADD PORT” you will see a small window open, in that window you will name the PORT the same as the printer and then enter in the IP address into the TCP/IP address field as shown here. Then click OK.


      8. Now click NEXT once the printer has been named and the port has been assigned.
      9. On the additional options tab deselect the first box.
      10. Then click FINISH.


      11. The drivers and plugins will then install.
      12. If there are any issues with this, as in a window opens and tells you to close “explorer.exe” then open task manager (CNT+ALT+DEL) and then find “explorer.exe” right click, close it, then click retry. Once installed, go back to task manager, select file, new task, and type Explorer to relaunch the windows explorer.
      13. You will then see the Labels printer is now installed.
    2. Now we can CONFIGURE the printer!


        1. Once in CONTROL PANEL select VIEW DEVICES and PRINTERS


        2. Once inside of the devices and printers’ section of control panel, find your printer (either called Labels, ATags, or SpecialLabels) right click on it and then select PRINTING PREFERENCES.
      2. Now depending on your printer, you will want to use different preferences, I will show you those now.
        If the below settings do not look like what you have, you might try this article.
        1. Labels


        2. ATags


        3. Special Labels


  1. Once you have set up the printer preferences on each printer you should now be ready to test your Bravo Labels and make sure they work properly.
  1. You should now have a fully functioning Zebra ZD620 printer now you can go use it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TROUBLESHOOTING

 

 

Issue: General Print Quality Issues The printed image does not look right.

Possible Cause - 1 The printer is set at an incorrect darkness level and/or print speed.

  • Resolution: Perform the Print Quality Report (FEED self-test) to determine the ideal darkness and speed settings for your application. Do not set print speeds above the manufacturer’s maximum rated speed for your media (print material and ribbons both).

Possible Cause - 2 The printhead is dirty.

  • Resolution: Clean the printhead.

Possible Cause - 3 The platen roller is dirty or damaged.

  • Resolution: Clean or replace the platen. Platens can wear out or get damaged. See Platen Cleaning and Replacement.

Possible Cause - 4 The printhead has worn out.

  • Resolution: Replace the printhead. The printhead can wear out and be damaged. See Replacing the Printhead.

Possible Cause - 5 Thermal Transfer printing - Printing looks fuzzy, has smudge marks, or has voids or holes in print with no particular pattern.

  • Resolution: The print material (wax, wax-resin, or resin) may not match the material (paper, media coating, or synthetics) in use. Set the printer for no higher than the maximum recommended print speed of the ribbon cartridge.

Possible Cause - 6 You may be using the wrong power supply.

  • Resolution: Verify you are using the power supply that came with this printer.

 

Issue: No Print on the Label The printed image does not look right.

Possible Cause - 1 The media may not be direct thermal media (and is thermal media made for thermal transfer printers).

  • Resolution: See the test procedure, Determining Thermal Media Types.

Possible Cause - 2 Media has been loaded incorrectly.

  • Resolution: The media printable surface must face up towards the printhead.

Issue: Labels Are Distorted in Size or Print Area Start Position Varies Includes printed image that skips between labels (mis-registration).

Possible Cause - 1 Media has been loaded incorrectly or the movable media sensor is not set properly.

  • Resolution: Verify that the sensor is set and positioned correctly for your media type and sensing location. See Loading Roll Media, Setting Media Sensing by Media type, and using the Movable Sensor.

Possible Cause - 2 The media sensors are not calibrated for your media length, physical properties, or sensing type (gap/notch, continuous, or mark).

  • Resolution: Run a SmartCal Media Calibration. or if it still skips labels try a Manual Media Calibration.

Possible Cause - 3 The platen (drive) roller is slipping or damaged. Resolution Clean or replace the platen. Platens can wear out or get damaged.

Possible Cause - 4 The printer has communication issues with cables or communication settings.

  • Resolution: Make sure the communication with the printer is working, for LAN check the PORT settings and make sure the TCP/IP port is set to the correct printer, and for USB make sure the USB is fully functional.

 

Communication Issues

 

Issue: Label Job Sent, No Data Transfer A label format was sent to the printer but was not recognized. The DATA light does not flash.

Possible Cause: The communication parameters are incorrect.

  • Resolution: Check the printer driver or TCP/IP port and make sure that the IP address is correct

Issue: Label Job Sent, Data Transfers, But does not Print a label. The Label was sent to the printer but was not recognized. The DATA light flashes but no printing occurs.

Possible Cause - 1 The prefix and delimiter characters set in the printer do not match the ones in the label format.

  • Resolution Verify the ZPL programming prefix (COMMAND CHAR) and delimiter (DELIM./CHAR) characters. Configuration Setting to Command Cross-reference.

Possible Cause - 2 Incorrect data is being sent to the printer.

  • Resolution Check the communication settings on the computer. Ensure that they match the printer settings.

Possible Cause - 3 Incorrect data is being sent to the printer.

  • Resolution Check the label format. See the ZPL Programmer’s Manual for details on printer programming.

 

Miscellaneous Issues

 

Issue: Printer Locks-Up All indicator lights are on, and the printer locks up or the printer locks up while restarting.

Possible Cause - 1 The printer memory has been corrupted by an unknown event.

  • Resolution Reset the printer to factory defaults.

 

TOOLS

 

SmartCal Media Calibration

  • SmartCal is used to quickly calibrate the printer to the media currently loaded. During SmartCal, the printer will automatically determine the media sensing type (gap, black line, or notch) and then measure the length of the media. To activate Smart Calibration, complete these steps:
  1. Make sure media is properly loaded, the printer cover is closed, and printer power is ON.
  2. Press and hold PAUSE + CANCEL buttons for two seconds.
  3. The printer will FEED and measure several labels. When done, the printer will return to READY status. If the printer should fail to recognize and correctly calibrate to the media.

 

Configuration Report

The Configuration Report diagnostic prints a set of printer and network configuration reports. To print the configuration report, complete these steps:

  1. Make sure media is loaded, the printer cover is closed, and printer power is ON.
  2. If printer power is OFF, press and hold CANCEL button while turning the printer power ON. Hold CANCEL button down until the STATUS indicator is the only indicator lit. - or - If printer power is ON, press FEED + CANCEL for two seconds.
  3. The Printer and Network Configuration Reports (below) will be printed, and the printer will return to READY status.

HOW TO RESET THE PRINTER!

 

First, I will show you the EASY way to reset the printer.

The Reset Button

In addition to the power on configurations described previously, the ZD-Series printer has a dedicated reset button located on the bottom of the printer which can be pressed with a paperclip or similar small object. Pressing the button has the following results based on the length of the button press:

 

  • 1-5 seconds - Printer reset – Printer performs a factory reset and will automatically print a configuration label (and network label if present)
  • 6-10 seconds - Network reset – Printer drops connection to the network, and a network factory default reset occurs. Upon completion of the reset, a configuration and network configuration label are automatically printed.
  • More than 10 seconds - Exits the factory defaults function without resetting the printer or making changes.

 

Reset Printer Factory Defaults the MANUAL way

To perform a Reset Printer Factory Defaults procedure, complete these steps:

  1. Turn OFF the printer.
  2. Press and hold PAUSE + FEED while turning ON the printer.
  3. Hold PAUSE + FEED until the STATUS indicator () is the only indicator lit.

The printer configuration is reset to the factory default values. No labels print at the end of this action.

 

Reset Network Factory Defaults

To perform a Reset Network Factory Defaults procedure, complete these steps:

  1. Turn OFF the printer.
  2. Press and hold PAUSE + CANCEL while turning ON the printer.
  3. Hold PAUSE + CANCEL until the STATUS indicator ( ) is the only indicator lit. The printer’s network configuration is reset to the factory default values. No labels print at the end of this action.

 

 

And that’s all folks. For any other issues or troubleshooting steps, please see the Manual.