Dymo LabelWriter
Service Notes
February 11, 2009©
Many problems are just the result of some debris or the usual dirt build up inside the printer. This may make for irregular print quality, labels that don’t feed properly, sensor problems such that labels skip or not stop in the proper place, or cause labels to get caught, pulling them off as they go through.
You should regularly use one of the cleaning cards that came with the printer to keep the label path and print heads clean. If you print a lot you need to keep fresh ones on hand. However, while the cleaning card works great on the print head, and somewhat on the rollers, it can miss other debris like dust, paper chaff, or even something sticky on the rollers, and pretty much misses the optical sensors altogether. So there are times you need to open the printer and clean things manually.
To get inside you will need to remove the front cover. It just snaps off and snaps back on, but you will need to be careful. To do this, remove the power and open the lid as if loading labels. You will find two small retaining tabs right above on either side where the labels go in the slot (on both slots on a Twin model). Lift up carefully in the middle (of both slots on a Twin model), just enough to clear the tabs and pull slowly forward and down to remove the front cover.
Once the cover is off you should be able to look for anything stuck to the rollers
or obstructing the slot or other areas. Use a Q-
Looking in from the front with a flashlight you also will notice the optical sensors at the front left about a half inch over, above and/or below the slot, right behind the tear bar. Make sure these are clean. Dirty sensors will cause various labels to skip or not stop in the correct place.
Also check that the rollers are evenly engaging and that the release lever is going all the way back. If rollers are uneven and the labels drift to the right, the sensor will not properly detect the sensor hole in the labels. This can also happen if the flanges on the roll holder are not tight, or the right hand paper size guide, at the entrance of the printer slot on later models, is not adjusted properly.
To put the cover back on, start at the bottom and carefully hinge up to click shut at the top.
Other problems include external power supply failure, or internal electrical, stepper motor, or mechanical problems. These can be intermittent, or appear to print some labels properly, but not others. Another issue is worn print heads, which usually cause easy to see printing inconsistencies. If you email us with specific details, we will be more than happy to help you troubleshoot a problem.
Here are some simple trouble shooting tests:
1. Manually form feed labels using the button on the front. If labels feed straight and to the left side, but do not stop in between each label properly, the sensors need cleaning or have failed.
2. Use the Dymo Label Software that came with the printer to test the printer, communication to the computer, and that the proper label templates are available. Download the latest version free from www.dymo.com support. Start the Dymo Label Software, select the proper template from the pull down menu, and print a sample label.
3. See your model’s User Manual on how to operate the printer’s built in self-