Hey everyone,
I'm dealing with a confusing issue involving label printers and I'm hoping someone can shed some light on it. I have two PCs running Windows 11, both using the same model of Toshiba B-FV4T printer. I'm using identical labels and ink ribbons on both devices. Here's the scoop:
- On PC 1, when I print to Printer 1, the output looks terrible.
- On PC 2, Printer 2 prints perfectly.
- If I connect Printer 2 to PC 1, the print quality is still bad.
- Surprisingly, if I use some older labels in Printer 1 and print from PC 1, it comes out just fine.
The craziest part? If I remove Printer 1 from PC 1 and add it back with a new name (like Printer 1_1) and use the same settings, the prints turn out great. Can anyone explain what's happening here?
5 Answers
Even when you remove a printer, remnants can linger in the registry, causing issues like what you're describing. If it's only affecting the printer with a specific name, it’s worth removing it, searching the registry for any related keys, and clearing them out. Just be cautious, editing the registry can be risky!
Have you checked the printer driver settings? Sometimes, settings like dithering or graphic options can mess things up. To better understand your "looks like crap" issue, can you clarify what that means for you? Maybe post a quick image?
When I say it looks bad, I mean the writing is inconsistent and looks like colors are dropping out. The barcodes and text often end up unreadable, even though I cleaned the print heads.
Checking for firmware updates might be a helpful first step. It's unusual that two setups would behave so differently, especially when the only difference appears to be the printer name.
Good point! I think the main difference is just that one printer is labeled differently on the same PC, which somehow fixed the issue.
It sounds like you might be having issues with the label type. I’ve encountered problems before when using thermal transfer labels on a direct thermal printer; they look awful. Make sure that the labels are truly the same — sometimes there's a small coating difference that affects performance. If you've already tested label and ribbon swaps between printers, that might not be the cause, but it's worth checking!
I actually tried swapping the labels and ribbons just like you suggested, but still had issues with some labels skipping or not working properly. The manufacturer claimed they were identical, but the feel was different, which might explain some of the quality problems.
Honestly, label printers can be a nightmare. I think they might be part of Satan's scheme! But on a more serious note, I switched from Dymo to Zebra and it's made my life so much easier. Sometimes they just need simpler setups without all the extra junk that causes issues.
For real! I prefer thermal printers too. They just do their job without all the extra drama that big format printers bring into the mix.
Yeah, that sounds like a hassle! I thought about it but decided against the risk.