FEED Self Test to Evaluate Barcode Quality

The figure below shows how printer settings such as darkness and print speed can affect the quality of the printed barcodes.

Set the print darkness to the lowest setting that delivers good print quality. The Print Quality Assistant in Running the Print Wizard and Printing a Test Label can help you determine the most optimal settings.

Print a configuration label to show the printer’s current settings.

Turn off (O) the printer.

Press and hold

FEED

while turning on (

I

) the printer. Hold

FEED

until the first control panel light turns off.

The printer prints a series of labels at various speeds and at darkness settings higher and lower than the darkness value shown on the configuration label.

Inspect the test labels and determine which one has the best print quality for your application. If you have a bar code verifier, use it to measure bars/spaces and calculate the print contrast. If you do not have a bar code verifier, use your eyes or the system scanner to choose the optimal darkness setting based on the labels printed in this self test.

Appearance	Description
Too dark labels	Fairly obvious. These may be readable but are not “in-spec.” The normal barcode bars increase in size. The openings in small alphanumeric characters may fill in with ink. Rotated barcode bars and spaces run together.
Slightly dark labels	Not as obvious as the too-dark labels. The normal barcode will be “in-spec.” Small alphanumeric characters will be bold, and may appear slightly filled in. The rotated barcode spaces are small when compared to the “in-spec” code, possibly making the code unreadable.
“In-spec” labels	Whether or not a label is “in-spec” can only be confirmed by a verifier, but they typically exhibit some visible characteristics. The normal barcode will have complete, even bars along with clear, distinct spaces. The rotated barcode will have complete, even bars along with clear, distinct spaces. Although it may not look as good as a slightly dark barcode, the barcode will be “in-spec.” In both normal and rotated styles, small alphanumeric characters will look complete.
Slightly light labels	In some cases, these are preferred to slightly dark ones for “in-spec” barcodes. Both normal and rotated barcodes will be “in-spec,” but small alphanumeric characters may not be complete.
Too light labels	These are obvious. Both normal and rotated barcodes have incomplete bars and spaces. Small alphanumeric characters are unreadable.

Note the relative darkness value and the print speed printed on the best test label.

Add or subtract the relative darkness value from the darkness value specified on the configuration label. The resulting numeric value is the best darkness value for that specific label/ribbon combination and print speed.

If necessary, change the darkness value to the darkness value on the best test label.

If necessary, change the print speed to the same speed as on the best test label.