ZD421 and ZD621 Desktop Printer User Guide

Cleaning and Replacing the Platen

The platen is the print surface and drive roller for your media. Clean the platen (and media path) whenever the printer has significantly poorer performance, print quality or media handling. If sticking or jamming continues even after cleaning, you must replace the platen.

Contaminants on the platen roller can damage the printhead or cause the media to slip or stick when printing. Adhesive, dirt, general dust, oils and other contaminants should be cleaned PROMPTLY off the platen.

When cleaning Linerless Platens, do NOT wash or scrub. Washing or scrubbing may damage the platen. Remove adhesive particles ONLY using the adhesive side of linerless media. Lightly touch the platen roller with a linerless label to lift particles off the exposed area of the platen roller and the media path areas.

For an additional cleaning, use a mild dish detergent with a neutral pH (Palmolive or Dawn) on the printer platen. Remove the platen as directed in the user guide. For a light cleaning, wipe it gently with a damp sponge and a small amount of detergent. For a deeper cleaning, remove the gear and bearings first. Then, soak the platen in hot water mixed with detergent (50:1 ratio) for 10–15 minutes. After the soaking, dry with a lint-free cloth and air dry before reinstalling.

The platen can be cleaned with a fiber and lint free swab (such as a Texpad swab) or a lint-free, clean, damp cloth very lightly moistened with 99.7% pure. medical-grade isopropyl alcohol.

Open the cover (and if a label dispenser is installed. the dispenser door).

Remove media from platen area.

Pull the platen-bearing latch release tabs on the right and left sides towards the front of the printer and rotate them up.

1	Platen bearings

Lift the platen out of the printer’s bottom frame.

1	Platen bearings

Slide the gear and the two bearings off the shaft of the platen roller.

To clean a regular platen, use alcohol moistened swab or lint-free cloth very lightly moistened with 99.7% pure, medical-grade isopropyl alcohol using the steps below.

To clean a linerless platen, instead of using the substeps below, use ONLY the adhesive side of a piece of linerless media to gently lift the particles from the plater roller. The surface of a linerless platen may be damaged if it is washed or rubbed with a cleaning solution.

Clean from the center out. Discard the used swab or cloth.

Repeat this process until all of the roller surface has been cleaned.

If there has been heavy adhesive build-up or label jam, repeat with a new swab to remove residual contaminants. (Adhesives and oils, for example, may be thinned by the initial cleaning but not completely removed.)

Make sure the bearings and drive gear are on the shaft of the platen roller.

Align the platen with the gear to the left and lower it into the printer’s bottom frame.

Rotate the platen bearing latch release tabs down on the right and left sides towards the rear of the printer and snap them into place.

Allow the printer to dry for one minute before closing the dispenser door and the media cover, and before loading labels.