Brother Pocketjet 3 User Manual

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Cleaning the Printer’s  Exterior
Should the outside of the printer become dirty, clean it using a dry cloth.
NOTE:  Avoid saturating the cloth.  Do not allow water to get inside the printer.
Avoid the use of benzene, alcohol, paint thinner, or cleaners that 
are abrasive, alkaline, or acidic.  Such cleaners may damage 
the printer’s case. 
						

							Page 48 Notes: 
						

							
Page 49
Chapter 5 - Reference
Indicator  Lights
The indicator lights tell you about the current status of the printer.  
Indicator Light  Table    = Solid          =Blinking
                                                                        \
 = Alternating Blinking
 
       POWER   DATA  ERROR                        = Doesn’t matter
  
    External power in use
      Battery in use, > 14.0 Volts
      Battery in use, > 13.1 Volts
      Battery in use, > 10.0 Volts
      Battery in use, > 6.6 Volts
    Battery is  discharging
    Battery is charging
      Printer is receiving data
      Unprinted data remains in buffer
    Printer is receiving  fl ash upgrade
      Printer is in “service” mode
    
						

							
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POWER  DATA  ERROR 
    Bad checksum of 
fl ash  data
        No battery found when charging
    Time-Out when charging
    Low Thermal Head  temperature
    High Thermal Head  temperature
    Data Receive Error
Indicator Light Warnings
The POWER indicator light does not light
The printer is receiving no power.  If you are using the AC  adapter, make sure it is connected 
properly.  See page 1, “Connecting to an AC Outlet (Optional)”.  Make sure the AC  power 
outlet is “live”.  If you are using a DC  adapter, make sure power is connected and that the 
fuse is good.
No Battery Found When Charging
If this indication occurs immediately when attempting to charge the battery, the printer did 
not detect a battery when you tried to initiate a battery charging cycle.  Make sure the battery 
has been installed and connected properly and that there are no broken w\
ires at the battery or 
connector.  See page 34, “Installing the  Battery (Optional)”. 
						

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Time-Out When Charging
The printer believes that too much time was required to bring the battery up to a normal 
charge voltage.  A maximum of 150 minutes is allowed for the charging cycle.  This is an 
indication that the battery should be replaced.
Low Thermal Head Temperature
The temperature of the thermal head is too low for reliable printing (less than 0°C (32°F)).  
You need to use the printer in a warmer environment.  
If this condition occurs in relatively warm environment (for example, at room temperature), 
the printer should be returned for service.
High Thermal Head Temperature
The temperature of the thermal head is too high.  If allowed to become even hotter, the 
thermal head would begin imaging the paper in areas not intended to be printed.  The printer 
will stop while the head cools down and then will resume printing.  This condition is normal 
when printing documents with a great deal of “black” content.  
To avoid or delay the onset of this condition, you can print using a lighter density setting, 
reduce the amount of “black space” being printed by removing background shading and 
colors (for example, background on Excel graphs or PowerPoint documents) and make sure 
that the printer is not enclosed and has adequate ventilation.
Note:  This condition may be worse at high altitude (>10,000 feet) due to a lower air density 
available to cool the printer.
Data Receive Error
Data is being received but errors are causing the printer to request that it be re-transmitted.  
This will slow printing  speed and is almost always associated with the quality of an  IrDA 
connection.  Try repositioning the printer or host  IrDA until the errors cease. 
						

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Self-Test Feature
The Self-Test Feature can be used to print a letter-size page test page without 
connection to a host computer.  The test page (See page 32) contains fi rmware level, 
image quality, and confi guration information.
1.  To print a test page, the printer must be turned on and idle, and paper must 
not be loaded in the printer.  
2.  Press the main switch for two seconds and release to place the printer in 
“Service  Mode”.  The  red DATA light will illuminate.  
3.  Insert a piece of Brother Genuine Thermal paper in the printer.  The test page 
will print automatically.  After the print is complete, the printer will return to 
an idle state.
4.  To print multiple pages, repeat steps 1~3.
Note:  Test pages can also be printed from the Windows based Confi guration 
 Utility provided on the CD. 
						

							Page 53
Chapter 6 -  Troubleshooting
Over view
If you have diffi culty getting your printer to work properly, fi rst check to make sure you 
have done the following tasks correctly (See Chapter 1, “Setting Up the Printer”).
• Installing the battery or connecting the printer to an AC outlet
• Connecting the printer to your computer
Make sure you have installed and selected the proper printer driver as explained in 
Chapter 2, “Using the Printer”.
Look through the troubleshooting tips in this chapter for help correcting the problem. 
						

							
Page 54
Paper  Problems
The paper is  jammed in the printer
See page 41, “Clearing a Paper  Jam”.
Paper moves through the printer, but nothing appears on the paper
Make sure you are using Brother Genuine Thermal paper and that you are loading it 
properly with the print side away from you.  See page 39, “Inserting \
Paper”.  Also, 
check the Print  Density setting using the “Accessing Advanced Software Features”, 
Chapter 2.
Paper does not move through the printer even though the motor is 
running
If the release  cover has been left open, close it completely.
Use Brother Genuine Thermal paper only.  Heavy paper may not feed through 
the printer.
If the release  cover is closed and you are using Brother Genuine Thermal paper, the 
printer may have a damaged drive system.  Call technical support.
Printed Image   Problems
The printed image is out of alignment
Make sure you are using the Brother Genuine Thermal paper.
Make sure you are inserting the paper correctly.  See page 39, “Inserting Paper”.
Check to see whether the platen  roller is dirty.  If it is, clean it.  Follow the instructions 
for “Cleaning the Platen  Roller”, page 45.
The print quality is poor, and the image is too light or dark
Raise or lower the density setting using the printer driver.  See page 15, “Making Prints 
Lighter or  Darker”.
Make sure you are using recommended Brother Genuine Thermal paper. 
						

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The image is compressed and stretched in many places
Make sure the release  cover was not left open during printing.  If it is open, 
close it completely.
Make sure the paper is not slipping in the printer.  If it is, make sure the print head and 
platen  roller are clean.  See Chapter 4, “Maintaining the Printer”.
Make sure the paper is not wrinkled prior to  inserting it.  Also, make sure you are using 
Brother Genuine Thermal paper.
The image has light or white vertical lines
Make sure the release  cover was not left open during printing.  If it is open, close it 
completely.
Clean the print head.  Follow the instructions in “Cleaning the Print  Head”, page 43.
If cleaning the print head does not correct the problem, the print head may need 
maintenance.  Call technical support.
All pages have a white vertical line
Clean the print head.  Follow the instructions in “Cleaning the Print Head”, page 43.
If the pages continue to have white vertical lines, the print head may need maintenance.  
Call technical support.
All pages have a black vertical line
Clean the print head.  Follow the instructions in “Cleaning the Print Head”, page 43.”
If the pages continue to have black vertical lines, the print head may need maintenance.  
Call technical support.
Light patches of print appear on the image
The printer requires smooth paper to work properly.  Make sure the paper does not have 
any dents or wrinkles.  It should lie fl at and it should not have a defective or uneven 
surface coating.  Use Brother Genuine Thermal paper and make sure it does not have 
any obvious deformities.  
Check the density setting using the printer driver.  If the setting is too low, raise it.  See 
page 15, “Making Prints Lighter or  Darker”.
Clean the print head.  Follow the instructions in “Cleaning the Print  Head”, page 43.
If using the DC power adapter, make sure the voltage from the vehicle is high enough.  
Try starting the engine if necessary. 
						

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The top margin is incorrect
Make sure the correct margins have been set in the confi guration utility and your 
software application.  If not, set the margins for the top and bottom of the page 
as needed.
Make sure you are not inserting the paper into the paper input slot with excessive force.  
Always insert the paper gently.
The image for one page requires more or fewer sheets than you 
expected
Make sure the software application, the printer, and printer driver have been set to print 
the same size paper that you are loading into the printer.  If the application or printer 
driver has been set to print legal-size paper and you insert letter-size paper, the image 
will require two sheets.  Adjust the application or printer driver settings as needed or 
reduce the print image within your application to fi t on the letter-size page.
The data light will remain lit  green to indicate that data is still in the printer after the 
page has completed printing.  
The side margins are incorrect
Check to make sure the correct margins have been set in the confi guration utility and 
your software application.  Adjust the left margin as needed.
Make sure the software application or the printer driver has been set to print the same 
size paper that you are loading into the printer.  If the application or printer driver 
has been set to print a different width paper, the image will not print in the proper 
horizontal position.  Adjust the application or printer driver as needed.
The print does not contain the proper characters
Make sure you have defi ned the proper character set (font) in the software application.  
If it is not correct, you must change it.
Trying another font may tell you if the original font was in error.
The print contains random dots
Check the printer driver to make sure it is set correctly.  Check the interface  cable to 
make sure it is connected fi rmly and correctly.  If possible, replace the interface cable 
with another and permanently replace it if it is defective.