Home | Label Fails to Update from Real Time Clock – NiceLabel Problem
Print or Email this article

Label Fails to Update from Real Time Clock – NiceLabel Problem

Target Audience: Basic User, Advanced User, IT Manager
Article #: 13770

Summary

Label templates can be set up with a date/time field that will automatically print the date and time when the label was output. However, there are several issues which can result in a situation when the label fails to update from the Real Time Clock (RTC) on the printer. This article will cover the different causes as well as provide solutions for each one.

Situation and Symptoms

  • Labels are sent tot he printer with data fields intended to use the printer’s RTC.
  • The data field fails to update with as the time changes. Instead, it prints the date and time of when the print job was initiated.
  • In some cases, the job prints as expected on one set of printers while it keeps the static date/time when printed elsewhere.

Solution

As mentioned above, there are a few possible causes for this to happen. Efficient Business Integrators has identified four specific causes that create this situation as well as the fixes for each.

Cause #1 – The printer lacks an RTC

Check the printer’s user manual to confirm that it has an RTC. If it does not, you will need to use an alternative method to generate the time stamp.

Cause #2 – The label template’s time stamp field does not use a resident printer font

Select a printer font for the Time Stamp field’s font.

Cause #3 – Wrong clock selected for the time stamp field

Users have a choice to use the computer’s clock or the printer’s clock (if available). In most cases, the issue is that Always use computer clock has been selected. Instead, Use printer clock if supported should be selected. Selecting Always use printer clock will cause an error message if the printer does not have an RTC. Note that this will allow the label to print as expected on any printer with an RTC, but it will still have issues if you send the print job to a printer without one (see Cause #1, above).

Cause #4 – The printer driver has an incorrect RTC setting

After eliminating Causes 1-3 as the culprit, then check the printer driver’s settings for the RTC. The example below shows the Zebra ZE500 NiceLabel printer driver which has a setting for the RTC to update the time on every label as it is printed. Adjust your printer’s settings accordingly.

Additional Comments

Issue Found with: NiceLabel 10.3, Zebra ZE500 print engine.

See also: Label Fails to Update Date or Time Stamp from the Real Time Clock (RTC) on the Printer – CODESOFT

If you need further assistance, please contact us.

Author

Jerry Joseph

Was this article helpful?

Related Articles