Resolving Alerts and Errors

ZD888TA/ZD230TA Thermal Transfer Desktop Printer User Guide

Alert	Possible Cause	Recommended Solution
Media Path
Printhead Open
A print command has been issued, or FEED was pressed, and the printer detected that the printhead (cover) is not closed.	The cover is open or has not been closed properly.	Close the cover/printhead. Push down on the front top corners of the printer’s cover. You should hear and feel the cover latches snap in place to lock the cover closed for printing. (See Opening and Closing the Printer.) If that does not resolve the issue, contact your Zebra partner or Zebra Tech Support for assistance.
Media Out
A print command has been issued, FEED was pressed, or the printer is printing and cannot detect media in the print path.	No media (roll) in the printer	Load your chosen media in the printer and close the printer. (See Loading Media.) You may need to press FEED one time or PAUSE to get the printer to resume printing.
	The printer has detected an end-of-media-roll condition either because it is at the end of a roll or there is a label missing between two labels in the middle of the roll. (See Detecting a Media-Out Condition.)	Open the printer. If the media is at the end of the roll, load new media and continue printing. (See Loading Media.) Do NOT turn printer power OFF if it detects a media-out condition in the middle of a roll. The print job will be lost. (See Replacing Supplies while Using the Printer.) If a label is missing in the middle of the roll: Close the printer. Press FEED to advance the roll to the next label. Then press FEED again once or twice to resync the label calibration.
	Misaligned movable media sensor	Check the position of the movable media sensor. (See Setting Media Sensing by Media Type and Adjusting the Movable Sensor for Black Marks or Notches.) The printer may need to be recalibrated for the media after adjusting the sensor. (See Running a SmartCal Media Calibration.)
	The printer is set for non-continuous (labels or black mark) media, but continuous media is loaded.	Make sure that the media sensor is positioned in its default center location. (It may previously have been positioned for black-mark media using Adjusting the Movable Sensor for Black Marks or Notches. See Setting Media Sensing by Media Type.) The printer may need to be recalibrated for the media after adjusting the sensor. (See Running a SmartCal Media Calibration.)
	Dirty media sensor	Clean the upper web (gap) Sensor Array and the lower Movable Media sensors. (See Cleaning the Sensor.) Reload media in the printer. Adjust the Movable Media sensor’s position for your media. Close the cover. (See Opening and Closing the Printer). Recalibrate the printer for the media. (See Running a SmartCal Media Calibration.)
	The printer is unable to sense the media due either to potential data corruption of memory or to faulty components.	Reload the printer’s firmware. (See Updating Printer Firmware.) If that does not resolve the issue, contact your Zebra partner or Zebra Tech Support for assistance.
Ribbon Out
The printer is printing and stops while printing OR A print job has been sent to the printer and the printer immediately reports this alert.	The printer has detected the end of the ribbon. The end of the ribbon has a reflective trailer on the end of Zebra-branded transfer ribbon; the printer senses it as an end-of-ribbon state. (See Detecting a Ribbon-Out Condition.)	Remove the ribbon and replace the ribbon rolls or the ribbon cartridge in the printer WITHOUT turning the printer off. Close the printer. You may need to press FEED one time to get the printer to resume the current print operation.
Printhead Over Temp
The printhead is over temperature and paused to allow the printhead to cool.	The printer is printing a large batch job, typically with large amounts of print.	The print operation will resume after the printhead has cooled.
	The ambient temperature at the printers location exceeds the specified operating range. The printer's ambient temperatures can at times be higher if it is in direct sunlight.	Move the printer location or cool the ambient temperature in the printer's current location.
Printhead Shutdown
The printhead is below operating temperature for proper printing.	The printhead has had a critical temperature or power failure.	Turn printer power OFF by holding POWER down for five seconds. Wait for the printer to shutdown completely. Turn printer power ON. If that does not resolve the issue, contact your Zebra partner or Zebra Tech Support for assistance.
Printhead Under Temp
The printhead is below operating temperature for proper printing.	The ambient temperature where the printer is located is below the specified operating range.	Turn printer power OFF. Move the printer to a different location and wait for it to warm naturally. Moisture may condense in (and on) the printer if the temperature changes too quickly. For optimal printer operating and storage temperature ranges, see Select a Location for the Printer.
	The printhead thermistor has failed.	Turn printer power OFF by holding POWER down for five seconds. Wait for the printer to shutdown completely. Turn printer power ON. If that does not resolve the issue, contact your Zebra partner or Zebra Tech Support for assistance.