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TL ASHFORD - Thermal label printer - intermittent problems

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  • TL ASHFORD - Thermal label printer - intermittent problems

    This is something that has been going on with our labels for years. We print thousands of labels a day on a Printronix - we have both the T8000 and the T5000 and both have had the same problem.
    • We create multiple spool files for batches of labels. The label formats within the spool file may switch between two different formats (one for states that require PROP65 message and one for those who don't require it)
    • Printing will go along just fine, and then a message is printed on multiple labels. After this happens, sometimes the users can get it to work again, and sometimes they can't
      • EXECUIT : CTFGCLB7:0001
        *** 071 EXECUTE/DELETE form or file CTFCLB7.frm not found in the directory
    Symptoms as have been described ? whether or not they are relevant:
    • The problem usually happens when the ribbon has to be changed/during an interruption in the printing
      • Per user: "This is not always the case for this error. I think we have 2 different issues getting grouped into 1. The Gap not detected error has popped up again lately when we change a ribbon. When that happens we have to power off the printer and restart the file. So the issue may be that whenever the printer has to be powered off and ended it triggers the execute error. But what doesn?t make sense is that we can have days where we have to do this and never get the execute error and then days like yesterday where no matter what we try it does not work. So why do some things work 1 time and not the next? And each time we get a solution, it seems to work for a little while and then we end up having to find another solution."
    • The printing problem is usually preceded by a ?gap not found? error
    • The file is usually (always?) larger than any other file (??)
      • Per user: "we have had it happen on shorter runs and we have also had much larger runs where we had no issues."
    • Sometimes rerunning the download works
    • Sometimes changing the printer works
    • Sometimes running a smaller range works

    I've reached out to TL Ashford. The initial suggestion was that the printer buffer is being overrun, but I wouldn't think that would happen on smaller runs and/or wouldn't it happen all the time on the larger runs? There were some suggestions from the printer manufacturer (Full disclosure: I am a coder. Period. I don't know ANYTHING about hardware or networks and I think printers are inherently evil.)

    Has anyone had a similar issue?
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