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printer configuration (See configuration.)
printhead wear The degradation of the surface
of the printhead and/or the print elements
over time. Heat and abrasion can cause
printhead wear. Therefore, to maximize the
life of the printhead, use the lowest print
darkness setting (sometimes called burn
temperature or head temperature) and the
lowest printhead pressure necessary to
produce good print quality. In the thermal
transfer printing method, use ribbon that is as
wide or wider than the media, to protect the
printhead from the rough media surface.
registration Alignment of printing with respect to
the top of a label or tag.
rewind A mode of operation in which the label
and backing material are wound onto a
spindle within the printer and then dispensed
for use in a separate process. The rewind
option must be installed to operate in this
mode.
ribbon A band of material consisting of a base
film coated with wax or resin “ink”. The
inked side of the material is pressed by the
printhead against the media. The ribbon
transfers ink onto the media when heated by
the small elements within the printhead.
Zebra ribbons have a coating on the back that
protects the printhead from wear.
ribbon wrinkle A wrinkling of the ribbon
caused by improper alignment or improper
printhead pressure. This wrinkle can cause
voids in the print and/or the used ribbon to
rewind unevenly. This condition should be
corrected by performing adjustment
procedures.
roll media Media that comes supplied rolled
onto a core (usually cardboard). Contrast this
with fanfold media.
supplies A general term for media and ribbon.
symbology The term generally used when
referring to a bar code.
tag A type of media having no adhesive backing
but featuring a hole or notch by which the tag
can be hung on something. Tags are usually
made of cardboard or other durable material.
take label sensor (See label available sensor.)
tear-off A mode of operation in which the user
tears the label or tag stock away from the
remaining media by hand.
thermal direct (See direct thermal.)
thermal transfer A printing method in which
the printhead presses an ink or resin coated
ribbon against the media. Heating the
printhead elements causes the ink or resin to
transfer onto the media. By selectively
heating the printhead elements as the media
and ribbon move past, an image is printed
onto the media. Contrast this with direct
thermal.
void A space where printing should have
occurred, but did not due to an error
condition such as wrinkled ribbon or faulty
print elements. A void can cause a printed bar
code symbol to be read incorrectly or not at
all.
Glossary
170PAX2-Series User’s Guide 73