How to Adjust Print Density (Darkness) on a Thermal Printer

0 0

Introduction

This application note provides instructions for adjusting the print density of a thermal printer.

Supported Printers: All Thermal Printers
Supported Interfaces: N/A
Supported Environments: Android, iOS, macOS, Windows

Before you begin

In most cases, adjusting the print density is not necessary unless you want to change the print darkness based on personal preference. Increasing the print density can also help resolve faded print issues when regular maintenance and cleaning have not improved print quality.

Important! Maintenance and cleaning is encouraged to be performed every 3 – 6 months (dependent on use) and in most cases will resolve faded print issues. Please visit the Star Global Support Site to download the manual for your specific printer. For general maintenance and cleaning use the application note below.
How to Perform General Maintenance and Cleaning on Thermal Printers

Important! Font color, size, margins and density are primarily controlled by the POS. It’s possible the POS will overwrite the settings changed using these steps and it is recommended to confirm with your POS that increasing the print density is supported.

Adjusting Print Density with Windows Driver

futurePRNT Driver

1. Click the Windows/Start Menu icon and open Configuration Utility TSP100. Allow it to make changes to your device.

2. Select Star Line Mode (default) Emulation and click “OK”.

Note: Unless your POS is specifically configured for ESC/POS Mode.

3. Select “General Settings” in the left-hand menu.

4. Adjust the Print Density accordingly.

5. Click “Apply Changes”.

Congratulations! You have successfully increased the Print Density on futurePRNT on Windows.

StarPRNT Intelligence Driver

1. Click the Windows/Start Menu icon and open Printer Utility Star PRNT. Allow it to make changes to your device.

2. Select “Printer Settings”.

3. Scroll to “Printer Density” and adjust accordingly.

4. Click “Store”.

5. The changes are saved and applied.

Congratulations! You have successfully increased the Print Density on StarPRNT Intelligence on Windows.

Star Windows Software Driver

1. Click the Windows/Start Menu icon and open Printer Utility. Allow it to make changes to your device.

2. Select “Printer Settings”.

3. Scroll to “Printer Density” and adjust accordingly.

4. Click “Store”.

5. The changes are saved and applied.

Congratulations! You have successfully increased the Print Density on Star Windows Software on Windows.

Adjusting Print Density with the CUPS Driver on macOS

Enable CUPS Web Interface

Note: The CUPS Driver Web Interface must be enabled on the Mac device to adjust print density. If it has already been enabled, this step can be skipped.

1. Open a web browser and type localhost:631 in the address bar. If accessing this page for the first time, the Web Interface will be disabled.

2. On the Mac device, go to Utilities and open “Terminal”.

3. In Terminal, type the following command and tap Enter:

cupsctl WebInterface=yes

4. Return to the browser and reload the page. The CUPS Web Interface will now be enabled.

Congratulations! You have successfully enabled the CUPS Web Interface on macOS.

CUPS Driver

1. Open a web browser and type localhost:631 in the address bar. Click “Printers”.

2. Select the printer from the list.

3. Select the Administration dropdown and choose “Set Default Options”.

4. Click “Output Options” and locate “Print Density”.

5. Adjust the Print Density accordingly.

Note: Positive numbers (+1,+2, +3) indicate darker print density.

6. Click “Set Default Options”.

Note: If prompted, enter your Mac Username and Password to Log In.

7. The settings are saved.

Congratulations! You have successfully increased the Print Density through the CUPS driver on macOS.

Adjusting Print Density with the Star Quick Setup Utility App (iOS/Android)

Supported Printers: mC-Label3, mC-Print2, mC-Print3, mPOP, TSP100III, TSP100IV

Important! Bluetooth, LAN and Wi-Fi printers must already be setup. If the printer is network based (LAN or Wi-Fi) ensure your device (tablet or smartphone) is connected to your network. When testing a network-based printer, ensure the iOS/Android device is connected to the Wi-Fi network. If you have not already downloaded the app, please do so using the link below: