The Foilfast P21x printer from Powis Parker offers users an easy and cost-effective way to create custom binding covers on demand. Below are helpful tips for troubleshooting the most common problems experienced while using the Foilfast P21x:

Problem:

  • The cartridge is stuck in the carriage.

Possible Solution:

  • Turn off power to the machine, then open the front cover and remove all cartridges on the cartridge holder plates. To reset the carriage, close the front cover and turn the power back on.

Problem:

  • The power does not come on when the power button is pressed.

Possible Solution:

  • Ensure that the power cord is plugged firmly into both the outlet and the printer. If the power cord is plugged into an extension block or power strip, make sure that it is turned on.

Problem:

  • The foil printing is light, distorted, or has gaps.

Possible Solutions:

  • Stop the printer, then remove and reinstall all of the cartridges. Before reinstalling the cartridges, take up any slack that exists on the ribbons. If a particular cartridge continually causes problems, try exchanging it with a different cartridge.
  • The print head may need to be cleaned. It is also recommended that you clean the platen after cleaning the print head. Note: If anything is stuck to the platen, carefully remove it before cleaning to prevent damage.

Problem:

  • The printer will not print, or stops unexpectedly during the printing process.

Possible Solutions:

  • Ensure that the printer is turned on before attempting to print.
  • Make sure that the front cover is closed properly.
  • Press the “Ready/Insert” button and verify that the ready light comes on.
  • Check that the printer cable is fully inserted into the wall and the machine. Ensure that nothing is putting pressure on the cable, and tighten the fastening screws and clamps to secure the cable in place.
  • Remove the sheet(s) of cover stock from the machine. If any pages are caught within the rollers, open the front cover and push down on the release lever before gently removing the sheet.
  • Recheck the printer settings in the application that you are printing from. Note: If you are using the parallel port for printing, you will have to set the printer port to LPTI instead of the PPI_LPTI port.
  • Use the Installation Disc included with your printer to install the print drivers onto your computer.
  • If the guage in the “Print” dialog box does not progress or the “Out of Sheets” message appears repeatedly (when sheets are loaded), your printer cable may need to be replaced.
  • If you are using a printer selection switch or a print buffer, you may find that printer operations are unreliable with bi-directional interfaces. Use one-way communication to ensure best operation.
  • The longer that the printer cable is, the less stable the single becomes. Select a cable length that is not excessively long to maintain a strong signal between your computer and the Foilfast printer.
  • Ensure that you are using the correct cartridges. The Foilfast printer is only compatible with Foilfast brand foil cartridges.
  • The cartridges must be inserted into the printer so that the “B” side faces up.
  • One or more foil cartridges may need to be replaced. When a cartridge has run out, black and silver stripes will be visible on the ribbon. If the cartridge ran out while printing, it will automatically continue printing where it left off once a new cartridge is inserted.
  • The Foilfast P21x printer requires work space on the hard disk while it prints. Always make sure that your hard disk has ample free space before attempting to print to avoid problems.

 Problem:

  • The printer is not printing, or is extremely slow.

Possible Solutions:

  • Make sure that you have enough free space on your hard disk. Note: The printer requires free disk space to operate, but the space will be released once printing has finished.
  • When your computer has very little free memory available for print processing, printing may take a long time or even fail. Close as many applications as possible and try printing again.
  • Working with color images requires a large amount of memory for both the application and the data itself, which may leave insufficient memory for printing. Make sure that your computer has enough memory to process and print the images that you are using.
  • General protection fault errors can be caused if your computer has insufficient memory for color printing or if part of the hard disk has become corrupted. Try decreasing the size of the file that you are printing and/or scanning the hard disk before printing again.
  • The time required for printing can dramatically increase if the available free space on your hard disk is extremely fragmented. Clean up your files and run a defragmenting utility to defragment your hard disk.
  • Some applications have color printing enable/disable settings, while others do not support color printing at all. Refer to the manual for the application that you are using and check the color settings, adjusting as necessary.

Problem:

  • The printer makes unusual noises when the power is turned on, and the error lights blink.

Possible Solutions:

  • If this is your first time using the unit, you may have packaging material remaining in the printer carriage or packing tape adhered to the case. Refer to the manual for detailed instructions for removing all of the packaging materials.
  • Make sure that none of the foil cartridges have become dislodged from the cartridge holders. Open the front cover of the printer to verify that all of the cartridges are installed correctly.

Problem:

  • Paper is not feeding into the machine correctly, or does not eject from the sheet feeder properly.

Possible Solutions:

  • The cover material that you are using may not be compatible with the Foilfast printer.
  • If the cover is curled, it may cause the machine to jam. The sheet should be curled the opposite way by hand to flatten it out before it is used.
  • If your cover has a cut or folded corner, it may not activate the position sensor or sheet length sensor properly, resulting in feeding and printing problems.
  • There needs to be a small margin (approximately 0.02″) between the feed guide and the sheets themselves to allow the sheets to feed.
  • The sheets may be overloaded in the paper feeder. Do not insert more than ten composition covers, one clear cover, or one Foilfast title sheet. Note: Composition covers should be 16-18.5 points thick, and clear covers should be between 6.5-7.5 points thick. Other cover thicknesses may work, however they are not recommended and may cause damage to your machine’s feeding mechanism in addition to potentially voiding your warranty.
  • Do not place anything onto the output tray as this can cause exiting sheets to jam.
  • The cover sheets must be fanned at least once before they are loaded into the sheet feeder. If the sheets are not fanned, they may stick to one another, causing multiple sheets to feed into the printer at once.

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