WS4 - Bad Print Quality

Problem/Question

Printouts are too light, too dark, or have streaks.

Applicable To

WS408TT, WS408DT, WS412TT, WS412DT.

Resolution/Answer

1. Clean the print head and Platen Roller.

It is essential to keep printhead clean if you want the best print quality. We
strongly recommend that you clean the printhead when you load a new
media roll. If the printer is operated in critical environment or the print
quality declines, you will need to clean the printhead more frequently.
Keep in mind these things before you clean:
￭ Keep the water away in case of corrosion on heating elements.
￭ If you just finished printing, wait until the printhead cools down.
￭ Do not touch the printhead with bare hands or hard objects.
Cleaning steps:
1. Moisten a soft cloth or a cotton swab with cleaning liquid.
2. Gently wipe the printhead in one direction. That is, wipe it only from left
to right or vice versa. Do not wipe back-and-forth, in case dust or dirt
attaches to the printhead again.

DT Model Print Head Cleaning

DT Platen Roller Cleaning

TT Model Print Head Cleaning 

TT Platen Roller Cleaning

2. Clean the label sensor.

Media sensors may not be able to detect the media correctly if it becomes dirty.
- Moisten a soft cloth or a cotton swab with cleaning liquid.
- Gently brush sensors to remove the dust away.
- Use a dry cloth to clean the residue.

3. Ensure the media load correctly. Refer to the following video.

WS4 Printer (TT Model) - Media Loading

WS4 Printer (DT Model) - Media Loading

4. Adjusting the Print Darkness and print speed.

Using All-In-One Tool to adjust the settings. You may download the tool from link below:

WS4 Printer Utility

In "General" tab, adjust the print darkness and print speed accordingly.

Print Darkness:  Adjust the darkness relative to the current darkness
setting. The range is +1~ +5, and the value is adjustable in
increments of ± 1.

Print Speed: Determine the media speed during printing. The range is
+2 ~ +6, and the value is adjustable in increments of ± 1 ips.

03-80145-EN