Speed of printing barcodes

Hi, if is the vertical line, its the print head that need to be replaced,
try to clean the print head and try this to confirm:
turn printer off, press PAUSE button and at the same time, power on, don't release the button, please wait until printer LCD screen come on, then release button. It will print the PAUSE test and after few 3-4 prints, u can turn off and on again otherwise printer not ready to print your labels until u restart it. (pause test stops after 10-15 labels). this pause print just show how the print head is and if come with vertical lines, u will need to replace. other idea is (if u can) turn the bar code different position or on vertical way at label format. Thanks.

The print speed is surely the bottleneck. I did find this:

http://apps.intermec.com/downloads/eps_man/937-028-003/Content/Print_Speed_Set.htm

Page 65 of the manual discusses adjusting the print speed, for "fingerprint" not IPL. (I'm not sure what that refers to, but it appears to be the language used by the printer.)

You may have an element or two on the left side of the printhead that is worn out and not printing. The best way to see if elements are not working is to use the widest label you have and run the PAUSE test. Turn the printer off, press and hold the PAUSE key while you turn the printer on. Keep pressing for about 10 seconds and then you can let go. When the printer is finished starting up, a test pattern will print. Part of the pattern is a black box. Any elements that are not working will show as white vertical lines. The only way to correct is to replace the printhead.

Hope that helps !

By gaps, do you mean a "void" area ? Over time, the elements on the printhead will wear down and finally they won't transfer heat to the ribbon. This causes a gap or void area. Usually the elements go out one or two at a time. If the area that is worn out is supposed to be printing bars for the barcode, this will cause the scanning problem you are experiencing.

The best way to see if elements are worn out is to design a label that has a thick solid black line across the label or a solid black box. You will see white vertical lines in the areas where elements are worn out. Another method would be to use the widest and longest label you have and print a 'pause" test label. This is done by turning off the printer, pressing and holding on the PAUSE key while turning on the printer. Hold the pause key for 10-15 seconds and when the printer is done with it's power on self test, it will start printing out a test pattern label which includes a nice black area where you can look for the white vertical lines.

Hope that helps !

Try slowing down the speed of the printer. Faster speeds degrade the quality of your print. Try printing your serial (ladder) barcodes at 2-4 inches per sec. It should improve the quality of your format.

Press "escape"
Press Right arrow til display says "setup"
press "enter"
Display now says "supply"
press "enter"
right arrow til you see "speed"
press enter
adjust print speed IPS is "inches per second"
press enter after you change speed. hit escape key 3-4 times, then enter - you should see "print mode ready

If speed doesnt change it could be because the print speed is set by the software OR by the type of barcode you are printing. Serial barcodes default to 2.5 ips.

Are you printing a serial or parallel barcode? If you don't know, a serial barcode looks like a ladder as it prints out on the label. A parallel barcode looks like a picket fence. A serial barcode (ladder) prints at 2.5 ips by default. You can't increase the speed. If you're printing a parallel barcode (picket fence) you must hit "enter' once you adjust the speed setting in the printer menu. If you've done that and it still won't increase speed, then the speed is set by the software itself, and overrides any changes you make in the printer menu. The speed adjustment must then be made in the software, not the printer.

try using a seagull sceintific driver.
also if you are sending graphics (barcode) instead of an actual barcode decoded font, the printer will process as a graphic.
If serial, speed up to max, if parallel it should print quite fast

printer manufacturers has different standards depending from the varieties of model and brand of printers for example an epson printer model who is older version is not the same speed print with the recent model likewise with the other brand. Therefore calibration of labels is depending to the version of the printer you are using now.

have you tried different darkness settings? it sounds like you only need to turn the darkness up a little.