Bixolon SLP-DX420 label printer

For jobs that print many 100mm-wide thermal labels, such as parcel shipping labels and box labels, the SLP-DX420 fits. It is a 4-inch direct thermal only printer that prints 108mm wide at 203dpi, with a max speed of 178mm per second (7ips). It has no ribbon mechanism, so do not load thermal transfer labels.

Printing 100×150 shipping labels in a row

The 100×150 shipping template among GoodLabel Designer's shared templates becomes a bitmap 800 dots wide and 1,199 dots tall at 203dpi. It is 8mm narrower than the 108mm print width, so nothing is cut off across, and a single label can be up to 1,000mm long, so 150mm in length is well within range.

• When you print multiple copies of the same label, the image is created only once and the quantity is sent in the ZPL ^PQ command, leaving the repetition to the printer.
• For shipping labels linked to Excel data, where the address changes on each label, a new bitmap is created for every label, sent in batches of 50, with a 2-second pause before the next batch.
• Labels with a print counter element, such as 3/15, are sent as a separately drawn image for each label instead of using the quantity command.

How to link data is in the Data connection chapter of the guide, and copies and batch printing are in the Printing chapter.

The printer and the Designer when loading a black mark roll

The SLP-DX420 has upper and lower gap sensors and a separate black mark and notch sensor whose position can be moved. When loading a black mark roll, lift the media, align this sensor with the position of the black mark, then close the cover.

Next, change the media type in the Designer's Printer settings to Black mark, and ^MNM is added before the first label. In the Troubleshoot window, also save the label type as Black mark labels and then run auto detection; since the printer is direct thermal only, the print method step does not appear. Details of the save and detection commands are in the table on the XD5-40t page. When you switch back to a gap roll, also set the media type in Printer settings back to Gap labels, and ^MNY is sent before the first label of the next job so the printer returns to gap detection.

Connection ports and sold variants

Whether you connect by USB or serial, first create a Windows printer with the Bixolon unified driver from the download center, then select that printer in the Printer field of the Designer's Printer settings window. If the name contains SLP-DX420, the model and 203 DPI are filled in automatically.

The Density field in the Print window (0–30, default 21) is also sent as the ~SD command, but whether it takes effect on the SLP-DX420 has not been confirmed yet. If shipping label barcodes print faint, adjust the default settings (print density and speed) in the manufacturer's setup utility.