971015-510225-(01)
UserÕs Manual
© 1997 by FARGO Electronics, Incorporated
CD Color Printer
510225 Fargo/CD Color Prtr 7/29/98 2:39 PM Page i
Notices
The information in this document is subject to change without notice.
NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND IS MADE WITH REGARD TO THIS MATERIAL, INCLUDING, BUT
NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
No liability is assumed for errors contained herein or for incidental damages in connection with the
furnishing, performance, or use of this material.
This document contains proprietary information which is protected by copyright. All rights are
reserved. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated into another
language without the prior written consent.
Trademark Acknowledgments
IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Windows is a
trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Apple and Macintosh are registered trademarks and QuickDraw
and AppleTalk are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Printing History
Edition 1.1, #971015
© Copyright 1997 by FARGO Electronics, Incorporated
All rights reserved.
For Users in the United States:
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
¥ Re-orient or relocate the receiving antenna.
¥ Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
¥ Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
¥ Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Use of a shielded cable is required to comply with the Class B limits of Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
You are cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved in this manual could void
your authority to operate and/or obtain warranty service for this equipment.
For Users in Canada:
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise for digital apparatus set out on
the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.
Le present appareil numerique nÕemet pas de bruits radioelectriques depassant les limites applicables
aux appareils numeriques de la class B prescrites dans le Reglement sur le brouillage radioelectrique
edicte par le ministere des Communications du Canada.
CAUTION!
TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THE UNIT TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE EXTERIOR PANELS. NO USER-
SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. OPERATE
THE UNIT ONLY ON 100-120 VAC, 50/60 HZ. FOR PRINTERS THAT HAVE BEEN SHIPPED
OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, OPERATE THE UNIT ONLY ON
220-250 VAC, 50/60 HZ. USE PRINTER ONLY WITH THE POWER SUPPLY LABELED FOR USE WITH
THE CD COLOR PRINTER.
ii
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Table of Contents
Section 1: Getting Started
A. Choosing a Good Location...............................................................................1
B. Unpacking and Inspection ...............................................................................1
C. Identifying the Parts..........................................................................................2
D. Applying Power.................................................................................................3
Section 2: Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s
A. About Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-RÕs .................................................4
B. Installing an Ink Cartridge ..............................................................................4
C. Loading Blank CD-R Media.............................................................................6
D. Printing a Self Test.............................................................................................8
E. Replacing or Switching Ink Cartridges..........................................................9
Section 3: Using the CD Color Printer with Windows
A. Connecting the Printer to Your Computer ..................................................12
B. Installing the the Printer Driver....................................................................13
C. Installing the 32-Bit Spooler for Windows 95 .............................................15
D. Setting Up the Printer Driver ........................................................................17
E. Printing a CD-R ...............................................................................................25
Section 4: Using the CD Color Printer with Macintosh
A. Connecting the Printer to Your Computer ..................................................27
B. Installing the Printer Driver...........................................................................28
C. The Chooser......................................................................................................29
D. Setting Up the Printer Driver ........................................................................30
E. Printing a CD-R ...............................................................................................35
Section 5: Using the Print Backgrounder for Macintosh
A. Installing the Backgrounder...........................................................................37
B. Printing with the Backgrounder....................................................................37
C. The Backgrounder Status Window...............................................................38
D. Backgrounder Menus......................................................................................39
E. Problems During a Background Print..........................................................41
Section 6: Interpreting the Printer Indicator Lights...............................................42
Section 7: Maintaining the Printer
A. Cleaning the Ink Cartridge Nozzles.............................................................43
B. Cleaning the CD Tray and Printer Casing...................................................44
C. Clearing a CD Media Jam ..............................................................................44
D. Technical Support............................................................................................44
Section 8: Technical Specifications ...........................................................................45
Appendix A: Interfacing Information
A. Introduction......................................................................................................46
B. Centronics-Type Parallel Interface................................................................46
C. Mini 8-Pin Serial Interface..............................................................................47
D. 6-Pin Minicircular Auxiliary Interface..........................................................48
Index................................................................................................................................49
iii
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Getting Started 1
Section 1: Getting Started
THANK YOU…
...for choosing the CD Color Printer. This printer is the perfect
way for you to label all of your custom CDÕs quickly, easily,
and with a touch of class. The CD Color Printer lets you print
razor-sharp text, vibrant spot colors, and even stunning photo-
realistic photographs directly onto the surface of printable
CDÕs. Operation is simple, quality is high, and printed images
are durable and highly smudge-resistant.
To begin using the printer, please refer to the remainder of this
manual. This UserÕs Manual is your complete step-by-step
guide to quickly and easily setting up and printing with your
new CD Color Printer!
A. CHOOSING A GOOD LOCATION
¥ Place the printer in a location with adequate air circulation
to prevent internal heat build up.
¥ Do not place the printer near heat sources such as radiators
or air ducts or in a place subject to direct sun-light,
excessive dust, mechanical vibration or shock.
¥ Allow for adequate clearance in front of the printer to
accommodate the length of the unit with its CD Tray open.
B. UNPACKING AND INSPECTION
While unpacking your printer, inspect the carton to ensure that
no damage has occurred during shipping. Make sure that all
supplied accessories are included with your unit. The
following items should be included:
¥ Printer
¥ Power Cord
¥ Printer Driver Software
¥ 32-Bit Print Spooler Software for Windows
¨
95
¥ Windows CD Creation Software
¥ Color Ink Cartridge
¥ Spare Ink Cartridge Holder
¥ Cardboard CD Templates (5)
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2 Getting Started
¥ Warranty Statement and Registration Card
¥ This manual and other printed information
Save the carton and packing materials. They will come in
handy when transporting the printer.
C. IDENTIFYING THE PARTS
This illustration shows the extended CD Tray and all of the
control buttons and LED indicator lights found on the printer.
The Power Button turns the printerÕs power ON and OFF.
This button also serves to cancel the current print job if a print
error occurs and to reset the printer for the next print job.
The CD Tray Button opens or closes the CD Tray for
loading and ejecting CDÕs.
The Ink Cartridge Button positions the Cartridge Carrier for
easy ink cartridge replacement.
The Power Light indicates that power is ON. The Busy
Light indicates that the printer is printing, processing, or is in
some way busy. Both of these lights can also indicate several
other printer conditions. For complete information on these
lights, please refer to Section 6.
Front Cover
Power Button
Power Light
Busy Light
CD Tray Button
Ink Cartridge Button
CD Tray
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Getting Started 3
This illustration shows the input ports found on the rear panel
of the printer. Both a parallel and a serial interface port are
provided. If using the printer with Windows, you will use its
Parallel Interface Port. If using the printer with an Apple
¨
Macintosh, you will use its Serial Interface Port. Note that the
printerÕs auxiliary port is for factory use only unless otherwise
directed. For more information on each of the interface ports,
please refer to Appendix A.
D. APPLYING POWER
1. Locate the power cord supplied with your printer.
2. Place one end of the cord into the power port on the rear
panel of the printer.
3. Place the other end of the power cord into an available
wall outlet.
4. Once the power cord is connected, press and release
the Power button to turn the printer power ON.
Power Port
Auxiliary Port
Serial Interface Port
Parallel Interface Port
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4 Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s
Section 2: Ink Cartridges and
Printable CD-R’s
A. ABOUT INK CARTRIDGES AND PRINTABLE CD-R’S
For full-color printing, a 3-color ink cartridge is available. This
cartridge contains the three process-color inks of yellow,
magenta, and cyan, which combine to produce up to 16.7
million printable colors. A monochrome ink cartridge is also
available for fast, inexpensive black and white printing.
With either of these ink cartridges, you can print directly onto
virtually any brand of printable-surface CD-R media. Since
different brands of CD-RÕs have different printable coatings,
however, you may need to adjust the printer driver settings to
accommodate your specific brand of CD-R media. Refer to
Section 3 or 4 for further printer driver information.
Due to the wide variety of printable-surface CD-R media, you
may find that certain brands of CD-RÕs provide higher print
quality than others. For maximum print quality, use CD-R
media authorized by the printer manufacturer. Contact your
local CD Color Printer reseller or contact the printer
manufacturer directly for selection and pricing on all printer
supplies and accessories.
B. INSTALLING AN INK CARTRIDGE
1. With the CD Tray closed, open the printerÕs front cover by
pulling down on its top-left corner.
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Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s 5
2. Remove the ink cartridge from its packaging.
3. Remove the tape covering the cartridgeÕs printhead.
DO NOT TOUCH THE COPPER AREA!
4. Press and release the Ink Cartridge button to move the
carrier to the load position.
5 Insert the ink cartridge into the cartridge carrier, copper-
end first.
6. Push the cartridge back until it snaps into place.
7. Press and release the Ink Cartridge button again to reset
the cartridge carrier.
8. Close the printerÕs front cover.
NOTE:
A Spare Ink Cartridge Holder is included with your printer. This
holder provides a convenient place to store an extra ink cartridge and
also prevents an opened ink cartridge from drying out. To use this
holder, simply insert an Ink Cartridge into the holder, copper-end
first, until it snaps into place.
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6 Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s
C. LOADING BLANK CD-R MEDIA
The CD Color Printer is capable of printing onto a variety of
CD-R related media including printable CD-RÕs, cardboard CD
templates, and jewel case booklets and inserts. Each of these
items is loaded one at a time, before the start of each print job.
Loading a Blank CD-R
1. With the printerÕs front cover shut, press and release
the CD Tray button.
2. Once the CD Tray is fully extended, place the blank CD-R
onto the tray with the printable side facing upward.
Handle the CD-R only along its edges and DO NOT touch
its printable surface.
3. Press and release the CD Tray button to close the CD
Tray. If you wish, you may also leave the CD Tray open
and it will automatically close at the start of the print job.
Once the CD-R has been printed, the CD Tray will
automatically re-open so the next blank CD-R can be
loaded.
NOTE:
Blank Cardboard CD templates are available for printing inexpensive
test prints and can be printed on both sides. Load in the exact same
fashion as an actual CD-R.
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Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s 7
Loading a Blank Jewel Case Booklet or Insert
Blank CD-R jewel case booklets and inserts are available for
creating custom jewel case labels. The jewel case booklet is
what slips into the top lid of the jewel case. The jewel case
insert is what is enclosed along the spine and back of the jewel
case. To load either, refer to the following:
1. With the printerÕs front cover shut, press and release
the CD Tray button.
2. Once the CD Tray is fully extended, place the blank jewel
case media into the CD TrayÕs securing clips as shown
below. Be sure to read the instructions printed on the
media for a description of which tear-off sections of the
media to remove before and/or after printing.
First insert leading edge into printer.
Then, pull back and secure beneath securing clips.
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8 Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s
3. Press and release the CD Tray button to close the CD
Tray. If you wish, you may also leave the CD Tray open
and it will automatically close at the start of the print job.
Once printing is complete, the CD Tray will automatically
re-open.
In order for the printer to print properly, CD-R media must be
installed. If you accidentally attempt to print without installing
any media, the CD Tray will open and the printer will pause
until media is loaded and the CD Tray is closed. When closing
the CD Tray, do not manually push on the front of the tray to
close it. Instead, always press the CD Tray button to open
or close the CD Tray.
IMPORTANT!
After you have loaded the CD-R media, you must also select
the appropriate Media option from within the printer driver
setup window. Please refer to Section 3 or 4 for more
information on selecting printer driver settings.
D. PRINTING A SELF TEST
Now that the printer is set up and print supplies are loaded, a
self test should be performed to check for proper operation of
the printer. A sample of the self test print is shown below. Refer
to the following steps to run a self test:
1. If power is ON, turn it OFF now. The Power light should
be OFF. Verify that print supplies are installed and that the
CD Tray is closed.
2. With the printerÕs front cover shut, press and hold the
CD Tray button as you turn the printer power ON.
3. Continue to hold the CD Tray button down for
approximately 8 seconds, until you hear the self test begin
to print.
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Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s 9
E. REPLACING OR SWITCHING INK CARTRIDGES
Once you begin using your CD Color Printer on a regular
basis, you will eventually need to replace an empty ink
cartridge or switch between color and monochrome cartridges.
To do this from a Macintosh, Windows 3.1x, or Windows NT,
use the same steps described in Part B of this section. To do
this from Windows 95, please refer to the following steps:
1. With the CD Tray closed, open the printerÕs front cover by
pulling down on its top-left corner.
2. If installing a new, replacement ink cartridge, remove the
cartridge from its packaging and remove the tape covering
the cartridgeÕs printhead. DO NOT TOUCH THE
COPPER AREA!
3. If switching between color and monochrome cartridges,
simply remove the extra cartridge from the Spare Ink
Cartridge Holder by grasping the top of the cartridge and
firmly pulling it straight toward you. You will hear the
cartridge snap out of position.
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10 Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s
4. From within the printer driver setup window, click on the
Cartridge button and then on the Change button to move
the carrier to the load position. Note that the printer driver
must be installed and that the printer must be connected to
your computer (see Section 3) in order to complete this
step.
5. Remove the installed ink cartridge by grasping the top of
the cartridge and firmly pulling it straight toward you. You
will hear the cartridge snap out of position. Remove it from
the printer.
6. Insert the replacement or extra ink cartridge into the
cartridge carrier, copper-end first.
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Ink Cartridges and Printable CD-R’s 11
7. Push the cartridge back until it snaps into place.
8. Go back to the printer driver setup window and click on
either the New Cartridge Installed or the Old Cartridge
Installed button to indicate whether you installed a fresh,
new cartridge or simply switched between a previously
used color cartridge and a previously used monochrome
cartridge. The cartridge carrier will return to its home
position. See Section 3-D for more information on these
buttons.
9. Close the printerÕs front cover.
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12 Using the CD Color Printer with Windows
Section 3: Using the CD Color Printer
with Windows
A. CONNECTING THE PRINTER TO YOUR COMPUTER
The CD Color Printer is designed to be used with nearly any
IBM-PC
¨
or compatible running Windows 3.1x, Windows NT,
or Windows 95. For best performance, a minimum of a 486/66
computer with 8Mb of RAM or higher is recommended.
The printer is equipped with a standard 8-bit Centronics-type
parallel port. This port is the means through which it receives
data from your computer. To connect the printer to your
computer, simply obtain a shielded, bidirectional parallel cable,
and refer to the following steps:
NOTE
You may experience printing problems if your computerÕs parallel
port mode is set to ECP. For best results, set your computerÕs parallel
port to the standard ÒPrinter PortÓ setting. Refer to your computerÕs
system documentation for instructions on checking and/or changing
the parallel port mode.
1. Connect the Centronics-type parallel side of the cable to the
printer. Snap the fastening clips into place.
2. Connect the other side to the back of your computer at
LPT1, LPT2, or the PARALLEL connector.
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Using the CD Color Printer with Windows 13
The printer must have its Power light illuminated to receive
data. If the light is not on, press the Power button.
B. INSTALLING THE PRINTER DRIVER
The Color CD Printer can be used with virtually any Windows
application program. This is accomplished by installing in
Windows what is called a Òprinter driver.Ó The printer driver is
simply a diskette with software on it which gives the printer all
the information needed for printing. Use the following steps to
install the printer driver. Once the driver is installed, put it away
in a safe place in case it ever needs to be re-installed.
NOTE:
This section of the OperatorÕs Manual assumes that you are already
familiar with Windows and know how it operates. If you are not yet
familiar with Windows, consult the appropriate Microsoft
documentation to become familiar with the basics of Windows before
proceeding.
Windows 95/Windows NT
To install the printer driver into Windows 95 or Windows NT,
refer to the following:
1. Insert the printer driver diskette into your computerÕs disk
drive.
2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and select Printers.
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14 Using the CD Color Printer with Windows
3. Double-click on the Add Printer icon.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete installation.
When prompted, do not have Windows print a test print
since you most likely performed a printer self test in
Section 2. Once installed, the ÒCD Color PrinterÓ icon will
appear in the Printers folder.
NOTE
Before installing updated printer driver versions, always delete the
existing printer driver version from your system. To do this, simply
select the printer driver icon from within the Printers folder, and
press the Delete key.
Windows 3.1x
To install the printer driver into Windows 3.1x, refer to the
following:
1. After starting Windows, go to the Main program group
and select Control Panel.
2. From the Control Panel, select Printers.
3. Select Use Print Manager from the bottom left of the
Printers window.
4. Select the Add>> button.
5. Highlight the Install Unlisted or Updated Printer option
from List of Printers.
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Using the CD Color Printer with Windows 15
6. Select the Install button.
7. Insert the supplied Printer Driver diskette into your
computerÕs disk drive. If you insert the diskette in a drive
other than the A: drive displayed in the Install Driver
dialog box, you must change the drive designation. Select
the OK button.
8. ÒCD Color PrinterÓ should now be listed in the Add
Unlisted or Updated Printer dialog box. Select the OK
button. Your PCÕs disk drive will now load the printer
driver. Depending upon your computer, loading will take
about 10 to 20 seconds.
9. Select the Set As Default Printer button in the Printers
window. The CD Color Printer has now been selected as
your default (main) printer. If you wish to use another
printer later, you must de-select the CD Color Printer and
switch back to the other printerÕs driver.
10. Finally, select the Connect button. Check that the box
called Fast Printing Direct to Port is selected. Although
this option is not necessary, it helps optimize printer driver
speed and performance. Select OK to exit the Connect
window. Select Close to exit the Printers window. See
Part D of this section for information on printer driver
settings and options.
C. INSTALLING THE 32-BIT PRINT SPOOLER FOR
WINDOWS 95
Your CD Color Printer ships with a print utility program called
the 32-Bit Print Spooler. This print spooler is for use only with
Windows 95. Once installed, the print spooler is able to process
your print jobs and send them to the printer at consistently
faster speeds than if sending print jobs through the
Windows 95 print spooler. This is especially true if printing
from a somewhat slower computer.
The 32-Bit Print Spooler is located on a single diskette and
installs just like any other standard Windows 95 application
program. To install the 32-Bit Print Spooler, refer to the
following:
1. Insert the 32-Bit Print Spooler diskette into your
computerÕs disk drive.
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16 Using the CD Color Printer with Windows
2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and select Control
Panel.
3. Double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete installation.
When installed, the 32-Bit Print Spooler will appear in the
Programs group of the Start menu.
NOTE
Before installing updated 32-Bit Print Spooler versions, always
uninstall the existing print spooler version from your system. To do
this, simply select 32-Bit Print Spooler from the list of programs in
the Add/Remove Programs Properties window and click on the
Add/Remove button.
To print with the 32-Bit Print Spooler, you must select the Fast
32-bit Spooler option from within the printer driver setup
window as described in Part D of this section. When this
option is selected, the print spooler will automatically open
and close with the start and finish of each print job.
NOTE
You can also manually open the 32-Bit Print Spooler simply by
selecting its icon from the Programs group of the Start menu.
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Using the CD Color Printer with Windows 17
When the 32-Bit Print Spooler is running, its icon will appear
in the Windows 95 Task Bar. During a print job, it is sometimes
helpful to click on this icon to bring the 32-Bit Print Spooler
status window to the foreground of your application. This
window provides a number of details about the print jobs
being sent to the printer.
The Current Job tab tells you the name and size of the file
printing, the progress of the overall print job, as well as the
total number of copies left to print. It also provides buttons
which allow you to pause or cancel the print job at any time
during the printing process.
The Settings tab tells you the port and printer to which you
are printing and also allows you to configure the timeout
setting. In most instances, the settings under this tab rarely
need to be changed.
The Job Queue tab appears only when a print job is being sent
to the printer. This tab tells you the name and status of each job
in the queue and shows you the order in which the jobs will
print if you have sent multiple jobs to the printer. A control
button is also provided which allows you to delete every job
listed in the queue. To delete the job currently being printed,
simply select the Cancel Print button under the Current Job
tab.
D. SETTING UP THE PRINTER DRIVER
Once the printer driver has been successfully installed, you
will need to set the driver up with the appropriate print
options. Refer to the following steps to change or verify your
printer driver options:
1. If using Windows 3.1x, go back to the Control Panel and
the Printers group using steps 1 and 2 on page 14. If using
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