Print and apply machine is paused, displays (Printing 1 of 1) or similar, or shows that it is ready, but will not print a label out. Printer connection errors displayed on Cubiscan Software window.
The print process on the print and apply machine is dependent on the status of the applicator machine as well. There are a few conditions that could cause the printer to fail to print labels.
- First, the print engine may be in a paused or offline state.
Solution: For this condition, press the play/pause button (SATO Print Engines) a blue light bar will light up on the front display panel, or the Pause button (Zebra Print Engines) the yellow pause light will turn off. The printer should now print on the next cycle. Be sure to press the apply button on the Panther control screen and remove any labels that may be buffered in the printer before resuming normal operation.
- Second, the connection between the print engine and the Cubiscan software/print server may be faulty. If this is the case an error should be displayed on the Cubiscan PC screen that indicates the printer connection has failed. (You may need to restart the software windows, and wait about 30 seconds for the error to pop up on the screen.)
Solution: This condition can be due to settings in the print engine being reset to defaults unintentionally by a quick power off/on process, and the IP address has been cleared out of memory. This can occur during a brief power outage if it happens quickly enough. This applies particularly to the ZE500 Print engine type from Zebra. If the IP address has been lost, this requires following the procedure to restore the IP Address settings in the print engine. The problem can also be caused by a loose connection or bad network cable between the Cubiscan controls cabinet, and the back of the print engine.
- Third, The display on the zebra printer shows printing 1 of 1, etc. but does not put a label on the tamp head.
Solution: This condition is usually the result of a previous label being removed from the tamp head without cycling the applicator process. Try pressing apply on the Panther touchscreen to cycle the applicator. The label that is buffered in the Zebra printer memory should now print out onto the applicator/tamp head.
