Zebra Technologies Z SERIES 79695L-002 - Manual (Page 55)

55 Operations
Load Ribbon
6/6/08 Z Series ® /RZ™ Series User Guide 79695L-002 Rev. A
Load Ribbon
Always use ribbon that is wider than the media to protect the printhead from wear. For direct
thermal printing, do not load ribbon in the printer.
The standard Thermal Transfer option (black ribbon spindle) uses ribbon coated on the
outside, and the alternate Thermal Transfer option (gray ribbon spindle) uses ribbon coated on
the inside. To avoid damaging your printer, follow the directions for the Thermal Transfer
option installed in your printer.
Figure 8 shows the ribbon paths for ribbon coated on the outside and ribbon coated on the
inside. The coated surfaces of the ribbon are shown in gray when they are visible. To
determine which side of a ribbon is printed, see
Coated Side of Ribbon on page 35 .
Figure 8 • Ribbon Path
Ribbon Coated Outside
(black ribbon spindle) Ribbon Coated Inside
(gray ribbon spindle)
1
Tension blade
2
Ribbon take-up spindle
3
Ribbon supply spindle
4
Printhead assembly
5
Printhead release latch
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5