Zebra Technologies 105SL Plus User Manual

Printer Diagnostics

7/3/13

P1056468-002 

Different types of media may require different darkness settings. This section contains a 
simple but effective method for determining the ideal darkness for printing bar codes that are 
within specifications.

During the FEED self test, labels are printed at different darkness settings at two different print 
speeds. The relative darkness and the print speed are printed on each label. The bar codes on 
these labels may be ANSI-graded to check print quality.

During this test, one set of labels is printed at 2 ips, and another set is printed at 6 ips. The 
darkness value starts at three settings lower than the printer’s current darkness value (relative 
darkness of –3) and increase until the darkness is three settings higher than the current 
darkness value (relative darkness of +3).

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.