Bixolon SLP-DX220 troubleshooting: lights, errors and fixes

CauseLED 2 blinking orange means the printer has no labels. LED 2 blinking red means the paper cover is open or not latched.

Fix

1. Open the paper cover. If the roll is empty, insert a new one, printable side up, and slide the media guide against the labels.
2. Close the cover firmly until it clicks.
3. Both lights now blink green (Cover Close Mode). Press Feed to align the labels.

CauseThe printer can't find the gaps or black marks (Bixolon calls this a paper jam), or a calibration failed, for example when auto calibration finds nothing within about 1 m.

Fix

1. Open the cover and remove any label that is stuck or creased in the paper path.
2. Reload the roll correctly and close the cover. Opening and closing the cover clears a calibration error.
3. Run gap or black-mark auto calibration: hold Pause for 2 seconds, then press Feed at pattern 4 (gap) or 5 (black mark).
4. If it fails again, calibrate manually in Unified Label Utility-II (see SLP-DX220 calibration).

CauseThe printer waits for a button press. In Cover Close Mode it holds received jobs until it is back in standby.

Fix

• Both green, blinking (after closing the cover): press Feed to feed one label and align the media, or Pause to return to standby without feeding.
• LED 1 green blinking, LED 2 red (paused): press Pause to continue printing.
• LED 1 green, LED 2 red blinking (cancel mode): the printer has deleted the jobs it received. Press Feed/Cancel again to return to standby, then send the job again.

CauseThe job doesn't reach the printer: a loose cable, the wrong driver port, or a network setting that doesn't match.

Fix

1. Switch the printer off, reconnect the cable at both ends and switch it on again.
2. In Windows, open the printer properties and check that the Ports tab points to the right connection: the USB port, or a Standard TCP/IP port with the printer's current IP address and Raw port 9100.
3. Ethernet: find the printer's address with Search in BIXOLON Utility. Its first three numbers and the subnet mask must match your PC's network.
4. To see whether data arrives at all, use data dump mode (pattern 6 in Stand-alone Configuration Mode). It prints the received data as hex codes; switch off and on to leave.

CauseThe roll is loaded the wrong way round, or the labels are not direct thermal. The SLP-DX220 prints only on heat-sensitive labels and has no ribbon.

Fix

1. Reload the roll with the printable side facing up, for rolls wound inwards and outwards.
2. Scratch a label quickly with a fingernail. No dark mark means the labels need a ribbon and won't work in this printer.

CauseThe label size in the software doesn't match the labels, the sensors are not calibrated for them, or a sensor is dirty.

Fix

1. Set the exact label width and height in the driver's printing preferences and in your label software.
2. Run gap or black-mark auto calibration (see Fix 2).
3. Switch off and clean the sensors and paper path with a dry cloth or swab; use alcohol only for adhesive residue.

CauseDirt or adhesive on the printhead, a darkness setting that is too low, or labels that need more heat.

Fix

1. Switch the printer off and wait 2–3 minutes for the printhead to cool.
2. Open the paper cover and wipe the printhead with a cloth or cotton swab moistened with medical alcohol. Let it dry for 1–2 minutes before you close the cover. Bixolon recommends this each time you change the roll.
3. Raise the darkness or lower the speed in the driver or label software.
4. Print a self-test (hold Feed while you switch on). If parts of the pattern stay missing after cleaning, contact us.

CauseLED 2 blinking green: the printhead is overheating. Both lights blinking red: error of the optional auto cutter.

Fix

• Overheating: stop printing and let the printer cool down.
• Cutter error: switch the printer off and remove any label stuck at the cutter.

CauseWrong settings that you can't find. Both lights steady orange is Stand-alone Configuration Mode, where the lights step through nine patterns.

Fix

1. In standby, hold Pause for about 2 seconds until both lights turn orange.
2. Press Feed when LED 1 is green and LED 2 blinks red (pattern 3).
3. The printer returns to factory settings and runs Smart Media Detection on the next labels.

The Ethernet version has a separate network reset: switch the printer on while you hold the network reset button for about 10–15 seconds. Bixolon shows the button in its network connection manual. Note your IP settings first.