Routine Maintenance
Cleaning Procedures
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P1016807-001 Rev. A ZM400 User Guide for UPS 2/26/10
Clean the Printhead and Platen Roller
You can minimize printhead wear and maintain print quality with regular preventive measures.
Over time, the movement of media across the printhead wears through the protective ceramic
coating, exposing and eventually damaging the print elements (dots). To avoid abrasion:
• Clean the printhead frequently.
• Minimize printhead pressure and burn temperature settings by optimizing the balance
between the two.
For best results, clean the printhead after changing every three rolls of media. Inconsistent
print quality, such as voids in the bar code or graphics, may indicate a dirty printhead.
Figure 13 • Location of the Printhead and Platen Roller
Caution • While performing any tasks near an open printhead, remove all rings, watches,
hanging necklaces, identification badges, or other metallic objects that could touch the
printhead. You are not required to turn off the printer power when working near an open
printhead, but Zebra recommends it as a precaution. If you turn off the power, you will lose
all temporary settings, such as label formats, and you must reload them before you resume
printing.
1
Printhead assembly
2
Platen roller