Calibrate a Bixolon SLP-DX220 label printer

The SLP-DX220 finds the start of each label with its media sensors. Calibration teaches the printer your labels so that every print lands in the same place. Bixolon gives you three ways to do it, and you try them in this order: Smart Media Detection, auto calibration with the buttons, and manual calibration with a Windows utility.

When to calibrate

• When you install the printer for the first time.
• When you change to a different label type or size.
• When labels stop in the wrong place, or a blank label comes out between prints.
• When both lights show a media error although labels are loaded.

Which method to use

Load the labels correctly

Calibration only works when the labels run through the sensors. Open the paper cover, check that the roll sits in the media holder with the printable side facing up, and slide the media guide against the label edges. The gap sensor is in the media guide; black marks and notches are read by a separate sensor. Close the cover until it clicks.

After you close the cover, both lights blink green (Cover Close Mode). Press Feed once to align the labels and return to standby.

Let Smart Media Detection run

Smart Media Detection recognises gap and black-mark labels without any settings. It uses 3 to 5 labels and starts by itself:

• on the first start, when you press Feed or send a print job
• when the printer notices that the label length has changed
• when your software sends a media type that differs from the printer's setting
• after a factory reset

Press Feed a few times. If each press feeds exactly one label and the printer stops at the gap, you're done. If not, continue with auto calibration.

Run auto calibration with the buttons

Auto calibration is in the Stand-alone Configuration Mode. In this mode the two lights step through nine patterns by themselves. LED 1 stays on, LED 2 blinks four times, then the next pattern follows. You choose a function by pressing Feed while its pattern is showing.

1. Check that the printer is in standby: both lights steady green.
2. Press and hold Pause for about 2 seconds. Both lights turn orange.
3. Watch the lights. Press Feed when the right pattern shows:
   • Gap labels: LED 1 orange, LED 2 blinking green (pattern 4).
   • Black-mark labels: LED 1 orange, LED 2 blinking orange (pattern 5).
4. The printer feeds labels while it calibrates the sensor. Wait until it stops, then press Feed to check that one label comes out.

If auto calibration fails

If the printer doesn't find a gap or mark within about 1 m of media, it stops in error mode. Open the cover and close it again to clear the error. Check the loading and the label type, then try again or use manual calibration.

Calibrate manually with Unified Label Utility-II

Manual calibration measures the sensor values and lets you choose the threshold. Download Unified Label Utility-II from the SLP-DX220 download page. Bixolon lists it for Windows 7 to 10.

1. Connect the printer, start Unified Label Utility-II and set the interface type.
2. Click Calibration Setting Manager.
3. Select the sensing type (gap or black mark) and enter the label length in millimetres.
4. Click Check Sensing Value. The printer calibrates and prints the measured values, and they also appear on the screen.
5. The best values are shown in bold on the left. Select one with its option button and click Save Calibration.
6. Test with Feed. If the labels still don't stop correctly, choose another bold value and save again.

To go back to the factory value, click Cancel Calibration.

Match the label size in your software

Calibration tells the printer where labels start. Your software must still send the right page size. Enter the exact label width and height in the Windows driver's printing preferences and in your label software, such as Bixolon's Label Artist-II. A wrong size causes the same symptoms as a missing calibration: shifted print and blank labels.

If labels still skip

• Clean the sensors. Switch the printer off, open the cover, remove the labels and wipe the sensors and the paper path with a dry cloth or cotton swab. Use alcohol only for adhesive residue, and let it dry before you reload.
• Check the media. The printer takes labels 15–60 mm wide (15–58 mm with the peeler) and 0.06–0.20 mm thick.
• Reset and start over. A factory reset (pattern 3) returns the printer settings to factory defaults and runs Smart Media Detection again.

More fixes are in SLP-DX220 troubleshooting, and loading is shown step by step in the SLP-DX220 setup guide.