9
OO
USER’S GUIDE
Deutsch /
www.P-touch.com
Printed in China
English
INTRODUCTION
With your PT-900, you can create la bels for any applic ation. Select fro m the many fram es, character
sizes and styles to d esign beautiful custo m labels. In addi tion, the variety of tape cartridges available
allows you to print labels with different widths and excitin g colours.
Read this manu al carefully bef ore starting an d keep the manual in a handy place for future ref erence.
Declaration of Conformity
We BROTHER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
15-1, Naeshir o-cho, Mizuho-ku , Nagoya, 467-8561 , Japan
declare that the Labelling S ystem PT-900 con forms with the fol lowing norm ative documents:
EMC: EN55022:2006 Cl ass B
EN55024:1998 + A1:2000 + A2:20 03
and follows th e provision s of the Electro magnetic Com patibility Directive 2004/1 08/EC.
Issued by: BROTHER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Printing & Solutions Company
Quality Manage ment Dept.
GENERAL PRECAUTIONS
• Use only Brother TZ tapes with this machine. Do not use tapes that do not have
the mark.
• Do not pull on the tape being fed from the P-touch, otherwise the tape cassette
may be damaged.
• Do not attempt to cut the tape while printing or feeding since this will damage the tape.
• Do not clean the machine with alcohol or other orga nic solvents. Only use a soft, dry
cloth.
• Remove the batt eries if you do not intend t o use the machine for an e xtended period
of time.
Note: If power is disconnected for more tha n three minutes, all text shown in the dis-
play and any text files stored in the memory will be lost. Language and un it
settings will also be cleared.
• Do not put a ny foreign objects i nto or heavy objects on the machine.
• Do not expose the machine to extremely hi gh temperatures or high humidity. Never
leave it on the dashboard or in the back of your car.
• Avoid using the machine in extremely dust y places. Keep it out of both direct su nlight
and rain.
• Do not leave any rubber or vinyl on the mach ine for an extended period of time, oth-
erwise the machine may be stained.
• Do not touch the print head mechanism. If the he ad is touched, clean it immediately
with a soft wipe (e.g. a cotton swab) to avoid permanent damage.
• To avoid injuries, do not touch the cutt er's edge.
• Please contact your Brother dealer for det ails.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions: 108 mm (W) ✕ 196 mm (D) ✕ 55 mm (H)
Weight: 335 g (without batteries and ta pe cassette)
Power supply: Six AAA size alkaline ba tteries (LR03)
Tape cassette: Brot her TZ tape
6 mm / 9 mm / 12 mm (width)
Cutter unit: TC-5 (re placem ent)
POWER SUPPLY & TAPE CASSETTES
a
Remove the back cover by pressing in the rough area at the top end of the machine.
If a tape cassette is already installed, remove it by pulling it straight up. Also, if batteries are
already installed, remo ve them.
b
-1 Insert six new AAA-size (LR03) alkaline batteries, making sure that their poles point in
the correct directions.
Always replace all six batterie s at the same time using brand new ones.
b
-2 Insert a tape cassette, making sure that it
snaps into place.
• Make sure that the end of the tap e feeds under
the tape guides.
• Be sure to remove the paper tab when inst all-
ing a new tape cassette.
• If the ink ribbon is loose, use your fing er to
wind the toothed wheel in the direct ion of the
arrow on the casse tte.
• Use only Brother TZ tapes with this machine.
c
Attach the back cover by inserting the two hooks at the bottom into the s lots on the
machine, then pushing down firmly on the cover until it snaps into place.
After you have installed the tape, feed the tape (see FEEDING) once and the n push in the
tape cutter l ever to cut the t ape.
Cutter unit (replacement)
If the cutter blade becomes blunt after repet itive use and the tape can not be cut clean-
ly, replace with new cutter unit (stock no. TC-5) by obtaining it from an authorized
brother dealer.
Tape cutter lever
Tape exit slot
Print head
Cutter unit
KEYBOARD & LCD
The LCD shows one row of 8 characters; howeve r,
the text that you enter can be up to 55 characte rs in length.
Power On/Off
Press a to turn on/off the mach ine.
The machine automati cally turns off if no key is pressed
within 5 minutes.
Print key
Function key
Enter key
Backspace key
Caps key
Space key
LCD indicators
Power key
Cursor key
Num keys/Function shortcuts
Character keys
Accent key
Symbol key
Function
Style
Upper case/Lower case
Cursor
Size
Underline/Frame
GETTING STARTED
a
Start your machine
Supply power by using six AAA batteries and then press a.
b
Set the language (En glish/French/German)
Choose a language with b and press e.
Check the display and press e . (To cancel, press d .)
c
Set the unit (mm/inch)
Choose a unit with b and press e.
Check the display and press e . (To cancel, press d .)
NOTE: • You can also display the languages and units by pressing the cor-
responding Num keys (1-3).
NOTE:
• To cancel operations, press d.
• To delete entries backward, press d.
• To initialize the settings, turn o ff the machine and then while ho ld-
ing down f and d, press a to turn the machine back on.
Finally, release f and d.
MAKING TEXT
Switching UPPER CASE/LOWER CASE
" j
Upper case Lower case
Making TWO LINE TEXT
Move the cursor to where the second line starts a nd press e.
NOTE: Use either 9 mm o r 12 mm wide tape for two line tex ts.
Display Label image
Entering SYMBOLS
" h > B > b > e
NOTE: • You can also display the symbols by pressing h / b.
• To go to the next group, p ress h.
• To skip to a differ ent group, press the c orrespond ing charact er key of the group.
• You can also scroll the symbo ls in each group b y pressing the corr esponding characte r
key of the group repeatedly.
Group Symbols Group Symbols
AF
BG
CH
DI
E
ABC
abc
ABC
abc
ABC
DEF
Entering ACCENTED CHARACTERS
" g > E > b > e
NOTE: • You can also display the characters by pressing g / b.
• To go to the next letter group, press g.
• To skip to a different letter group, press the corresponding chara c-
ter key.
• You can also scroll the characters in each letter group by pressing
the corresponding character key repeatedly.
Letter
Accented character s
Letter
Accented chara cters
Aa
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ii
Ll
Nn
Oo
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Yy
Zz
DESIGNING LABELS
Setting FONT (f+ 1)
" f > f/b > e > f/b > e
HELSINKI OKLAHOMA
Setting SIZE (f+ 2)
" f > f/b > e > f/b > e
AUTO automatically adjusts the te xt size according to the tape widt h.
SIZE1 SIZE2 SIZE3
SIZE4 SIZE5
NOTE: • Two line text s are printe d in SIZE1 reg ardless of the setting.
• Only AUTO, SIZE1 and SIZE2 can be used on 6mm tapes.
Setting STYLE (f+ 3)
" f > f/b > e > f/b > e
NORMAL BOLD OUTLINE SHADOW
ITALIC I+BOLD (ITALIC + BOLD) I+OUTL (ITALIC + OUTLINE)
I+SHADOW (
ITALIC + SHAD OW
) VERTICAL MIRROR
NOTE: • Two line texts are print ed in NORMAL rega rdless of the sett ing.
• Use clear tape in MIRR OR, so the labe ls appear on the other side w hen stuck on glass,
windows or othe r transpar ent surfaces .
Setting UNDERLINE/FRAME (f+ 4)
" f > f/b > e > f/b > e
OFF UNDL (Underline) ROUND
BANNER WOODEN VINE
NOTE: No underline or frame is set to texts in VERTICAL style.
Setting TAB (f +5 )
You can make aligned texts by setting tabs.
Example: To set a tab between “abc” a nd “d”
" b > f > f/ b > e
Label image
NOTE: The cursor should be positioned where you set a t ab.
Setting TAB LENGTH (0 - 100mm) (f +6 )
" f > f/b > e > b > e
NOTE: You can also se lect the leng th by entering t he length wi th Num keys.
Setting LA BEL LENGTH
(AUTO/40 - 30 0mm)
(f +7 )
" f > f/b > e > b > e
NOTE: • You can also select the le ngth by entering the length with Num keys.
• To return to AUTO, press any alphabet key or i.
Using AUTO FORMAT (f+ 8)
You can choose label length from six formats to create labels for various a p-
plications.
" f > f/b > e > f/b > e
To CLEAR (f+ 0)
All text and settings will be cleared.
" f > f/b > e
Ta b
abc d
LCD Application Length LCD Application Lengt h
VCR VHS
VCR VHS 140mm
FILE T AB
File T ab 70mm
FD 3.5" 3. 5" Floppy Disk 68mm A UDIO Audio Cassette 89mm
CD CASE
CD 100mm VIDEO 8 VCR 8mm (Video 8 ) 92mm
PRINTING
TEXT PREVIEW (f+ c)
You can preview the text before printing.
" f > f/b > e
NOTE: • The LCD shows the w hole text and t he label length (mm/inch), the n returns to the original
text.
• Only the text ca n be previewe d, but no t the font, style, si ze, underli ne/frame or any add i-
tional featur es.
FEEDING (TAPE FEED) (f+ i)
" f > f/b > e
PRINTING
" c
NOTE: • To cut off the label, push in the tape cu tter lever on the uppe r-right corner of th e machine.
• To prevent damage to the tap e, do not try to cut while the message PR INT or FEED is
displayed.
TAPE MARGIN (f+ .)
" f > f/b > e > f/b > e
FULL/HALF/NARROW is for leaving equal m argins on both sides of the text.
NOTE: Cut along the pr inted dots (: ) with scissors s o the text is c entred in the label.
FULL HALF NARROW
CHAIN is for printing more than 1 copy of a label w ith a minimum margin
<e.g. 1>. You can also create a label containing texts in various styles; print
a text in one style, and before feeding, enter the second text in another style
<e.g. 2>.
NOTE: FEED THE TAPE BEFORE USING THE CUTTER (see FEEDING/PRINTING). Otherw ise
A PART OF THE TEXT MAY BE CUT OFF. Do not try to pull the tape since this may
damage the tape casse tte.
CHAIN
<e.g. 1> <e.g. 2>
Print Option/REPEAT PRINTING (f+ ,)
You can print up to 9 copies of each label.
" f > f/b > e > f/b >
e > f/b > e
NOTE: • When the tape margin is set to CHAIN, FEED THE TAPE BEFORE USING THE CUTTER
(see FEEDING/PRINTING). Otherwise A PART OF THE TEXT MAY BE CUT OFF. Do
not try to pull the tape since this may damage the tape cas sette.
• When the tape margin is set to FU LL/HALF/NARROW , cut along the printed do ts (:) with
scissors to separate the lab els.
Print Option/NUMBERING (f+ ,)
You can print many copies of the same text while increasing a selected num-
ber by 1 after each label is printed.
Example: To print copies of a label containin g a serial number (0123, 0124 and 0125)
" b > f > f/b > e >
f/b > e > f/b
> e
NOTE: • The last number th at will be printed must be larger than the numbe r selected in the t ext,
otherwise the message ERROR appears.
• When the tape margin is set to CHA IN, FEED THE TAPE BEFORE USING THE CUTTER
(see FEEDING/PRINTING). Otherwise A PART OF THE TEXT MAY BE CUT OFF. Do
not try to pull the tape since this may damage the tape cas sette.
• When the tape margin is set to FU LL/HALF/NARROW , cut along the printed do ts (:) with
scissors to separate the lab els.
25mm 25mm
12mm 12mm
4mm 4mm
(feed & cut)
ABC ABC ABC
(feed & cut)
ABC
ABC
DEF
MEMORY (F +9 )
You can store up to 9 frequently used te xt files and recall them to create lab els more
quickly and easily.
" f > f/b > e >
To STORE;
" f/b > e > b > e
To RECALL;
" f/b > e > b > e
To DELETE;
" f/b > e > b > e
NOTE: • When the memory i s full, dele te one or more files and then store the new fi le.
• You can also choose a fi le number b y pressing the cor responding Num key (1-9).
FUNCTION SHORTCUTS (F +...)
In addition to the basic steps to search for a function , PT-900 provides you wit h function
shortcuts so you can ea sily jump to a frequent ly used function just by pre ssing
f and the
shortcut key shown in the table below. To confirm, press
e (or the shor tcut key again) .
NOTE: • PRINT OP contains two functio ns, REPEAT PRINTING and NUMBERING.
• For PREVIEW and FEED, press e to preview/fee d after the LCD message appe ars.
Key
LCD messag e
Function
Key
LCD messag e
Function
1
FONT Character f ont
8
A/F Aut o Format
2
SIZE Char acter size
9
MEMOR Y Memor y
3
STYLE Print style
0
CLEAR Clear text + style
4
UNDL/FRM Underline/Fr ame
.
MARGIN T ape margin
5
T AB T ab sett ing
,
PRINT OP Repeat/Numbering
6
T AB LEN T ab length
c
PREVIEW T ext pre vie w
7
LENGTH Label length
i
FEED T ape feed
NOTE: You can also re fer to the chart indicated on the back of the machine.
ERROR MESSAGE LIST
TROUBLESHOOTING
ERROR An error occurred.
BA TTERY The batteries are w eak.
B
A T T E R Y The batteries are empt y .
FULL
The maximum n umber of char acters (55 char acters)
hav e already been entered or the memory is full.
LONG TXT The te xt length exceeds the selected label lengt h.
Proble m Solut ion
The display sta ys blank after you
hav e turned on the machine.
• Check that the batteries are correctly inser ted.
• If the batteries are weak, replace them.
The machine does not print, or the
printed characters are blurred.
• Check that the tape cassette has been inser ted
correctly .
• If the tape cassette is empty , replace it.
• Check that the character size is appropriate for the
width of the tape that is used.
The printed characters are not
formed properly .
• If the batteries are weak, replace them.
Striped tape appears. • The tape cassette is emp ty . Replace it.
The memory has cleared on it s own. • The batteries may be weak. Replace them.
A blank horizontal line appears
through the printed label.
• There may be some dust on the print head.
Remove the tape cassette and use a dry cotton
sw ab to gently wipe the print head with an up-and-
down motion.
• The print head can be cleaned more easily if th e
optional print head cleaning cassette (TZ-CL3) is
used.
The machine has “locked up” (i.e.,
nothing happens when a key is
pressed, ev en though the machine is
on).
• T urn off the machin e, and then while holding down
f and d, press a to turn the machine back
on. Finally , release
f and d.
Note: The text and f ormats in the display and all
text files stored in the memory are erased.
Also, the language and unit settings will be
cleared.