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      Installing the Software

      A guide on installing the Printer Drivers and Ramp Print Application

      Installing the print drivers


      Before uses can begin to use the Ramp Print application, the printing drivers will need to be installed on the machine to allow communication between the printer and the computer.

      This driver is only suitable for Windows 7 machines or newer.

      Downloading the Software

      Firstly, you can click the following link to download the SATO Printer Drivers required for installation.

      Download Link: SATO_8.4.0_20442

      Installing the SATO Printer Drivers

      1. Extract the folder that has been downloaded. By default, it will be downloaded to the Downloads folder on your machine.
      2. Locate the PrnInst.exe file within the extracted folder and double-click the file to launch.
      3. The Wizard Installation window will appear. Click Next to continue.
      4. On the Installation options window, select Install Printer Driver to continue.
      5. When selecting a port, select the corresponding option based on how you've connected the machine to the printer.

        1. If connecting via Ethernet, then select Network Port
        2. If connecting via USB, then select USB Port
      6. When connecting via Ethernet, the wizard will aim to detect the printer on the network. Select the printer from the list to continue.

        1. If the printer does not appear, you can manually add the printer by pressing the Manual button.
        2. Select the Printer that you wish to add. You can retrieve the model number from the printer directly, otherwise select the SATO CL4NX Plus 203dpi model printer.
        3. You will be required to select a network port to connect to the printer. Select Create a new network port and press Next to continue.
        4. In the Printer Name or IP Address field, enter the IP Address of the printer. For further details on this, refer to the Printer Setup to navigating and retrieving this.
        5. Upon entering the IP Address, you'll be shown the Printer Options window to review the installation options. Click Install to proceed and complete the installation.
      7. When connecting via USB, you will be prompted to disconnect and reconnect the USB cable on the printer. Once completed, the window will progress to the Printer Options window to review the installation options.

       

      Installing the Ramp Print Application

      Before users can begin printing RFID tags, they will be required to install the Ramp Print application as a means of accessing the software. 

      This application is only suitable for Windows 7 machines or newer.

      Downloading the Software

      Click the following link to download the latest version of the Ramp Print application. 

      Download Link: Ramp Print v5.1.0

      Installing the Ramp Print Application

      1. Locate the Ramp Print Installer and double-click the file to launch. By default, it will be downloaded to the Downloads folder on your machine.
      2. The Wizard Installation window will appear. Click Next to continue.
      3. Select the destination folder to where the application will be installed. By default, it'll be installed to the following directory:  C:\Program Files (x86)\Ramp\Ramp Print\. Click Next to continue.
      4. You'll be prompted to configure the server URL. This will be dependent on your system setup, but by default will be set to one of the following:
        1. https://api.loca.fi
        2. https://api.locafi-retail.com
        3. https://locafi-gov-api.azurewebsites.net

      5. Once you've selected your server, click Install to begin the installation process.
      6. Once the installation is complete, click Finish to complete the installation.

      Additional Installation Files

      Some computers may be missing the following files that are normally installed as part of Windows updates. It is recommended to install these files, even if they are already present on the computer.

       

      First Time Configuration

      This article will aim to cover the initial steps to cover when setting up the RFID Printer and Ramp Print application for initial use. 

      These steps are designed for Ramp Technicians to follow and are not meant for customers to complete during the initial deployment. However, it is beneficial for customers to familiarize themselves with these steps as a point of reference when troubleshooting the deployment.

      Printing Settings

      Configuring Printing Settings

      Using either of the methods above, you can adjust the print settings of the printer including print speed, print size and darkness of the print.

      In most cases, it is not advised for users to adjust these settings unless instructed to by Ramp Support as this can impact the resulting print quality and labels.

      1. Using either mode, enter the Settings menu and followed by Printing.
      2. Adjust the Label Length and Label Width to match the dimensions of the label.
        1. If the dimensions are appearing as dots, you'll have to navigate to System and change the units from dots to mm.
      3. Configure Printing Mode to Use Ribbon.
      4. Configure Speed to a suitable printing speed. For reference:
        1. AD312 or Dogbone M750 - 4 to 6
        2. IQXXX - 2 to 3
      5. Configure Print Mode to Tear Off.
      6. Configure Darkness Range to A/10.
        1. If you're finding that the darkness becomes too dark, then reduce the Darkness to a smaller number.

      Calibrating the Printer

      When setting up a new label media, you'll have to undergo a label calibration on the printer to ensure proper print quality. If you are noticing issues with labels not being fed correctly or misaligned when printing in the y-axis, then you may need to re-calibrate the label media.

      1. Navigate to the Printing settings followed by Advanced at the bottom of the page.
      2. Press the Enter Key on Calibrate to continue.
      3. Select Auto Calibration followed by Gap + I-Mark to continue.
      4. Before starting, you will be prompted to remove the label from the liner and then place the liner back under the plate sensor. 
        1. In most cases, aim to remove enough labels such that the entire print head area is void of labels.
      5. Once done, press the Start button to begin calibration.
      6. The result of the sensor adjustment will be shown. Press the Return button to exit the calibration. 

      Network Settings

      If you're configuring the printer to be connected via Ethernet, then you may need to adjust the network settings of the printer depending on the network infrastructure. In all cases, you'll want the printer to have a dedicated or static IP address as we wish to prevent the IP address from changing between reboots.

      If the IP address is not set to static, the printer's IP address may change between reboots, potentially leading to issues with your printer drivers. For guidance on resolving this issue, please reach out to your IT administrator for further assistance.

      1. Navigate through the following menus:

        Settings > Interface > Settings > LAN > IPv4
      2. Set the following settings based on the table below.
        Name Set
        Mode Static
        IP Address 192.168.1.XXX*
        Netmask 255.255.255.0
        Gateway Blank
        DNS Blank

        *Ensure that the first three octets of the IP address match the existing network it is connecting to. The fourth octet should be unique within the network and preferably set outside the DHCP range to avoid any IP addressing conflicts.

      3. Press Save to save your changes.
      4. Confirm that the printer is reachable on the network from another device (i.e. laptop, computer, router, etc...)

      RFID Settings

      The RFID settings control the read and write power of the RFID antenna, as well as handle the encoding on the labels. These settings need to be changed between different labels as each label will have different read and write power requirements to be encoded correctly.

      Incorrectly setting the RFID settings will cause the labels to either not be encoded entirely or unable to be encoded because the read and write settings are set too high. 

      Before adjusting the RFID settings, make sure to calibrate the printer first. Failing to do so may result in incorrectly encoding the wrong label, causing potential issues with misprinted labels.

      1. Navigate through the following menus:

        Settings > Interface > RFID

      2. Set the Antenna Position to Front as this will move the RFID antenna towards the front of the printer. This is critical especially for smaller labels and will prevent multiple tag reads.

      3. Set the Write and Read Power of printer to suit the label. The following settings can be used as a starting point of reference when adjusting.
          Write Read
        AD312 15 12
        Dogbone M750 12 9
        IQ150 18 15
        IQ600 15 12
      4. Once you've changed your settings, you should also test your settings to ensure that they are suitable for the label.  To do so, scroll down to View and press Read.
      5. Once you're viewing the label, press the Feed button to feed the media and attempt to read the tag currently set.
        1. If you're seeing Tag not found errors, increase the write and read power by 3 and repeat this test.
        2. If you're seeing Multiple tag errors, decrease the write and read power by 3 and repeat this test.
        3. If you've done a) and b) but you're finding that the tag is switching between the two, you may need to adjust the tag offset to better align the label.

      Profile Settings

      The profile settings will allow users to save and load configurations onto the RFID printer. This is most beneficial to users who intend on swapping between multiple label media or reloading a previously known profile if the current settings were mishandled.

      1. Navigate through the following menus:

        Settings > Tools > Profile
      2. Press Save to save the current printer configuration. Enter a profile name and then press Save.
      3. Press Load to load a previously saved printer configuration. Select the profile name you wish to load and press Load.