Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not

represent a commitment on the part of DATAMAX Bar Code Products

Corporation. No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, for any purpose other than the purchaser's personal use,
without express written permission of DATAMAX Bar Code Products
Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Copyright 1990, 1995 by DATAMAX Bar Code Products Corporation.

7500 Flying Cloud Drive, Suite 655, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (612) 946-0026

Documentation P/N: 510366 Revision B1

TABLE of CONTENTS
1
Product Description ................................................................1
1.1 Specifications ...............................................................6
1.2 Printer Options ...........................................................10
1.3 Supplies......................................................................11

2
Getting Started......................................................................15
2.1 Unpacking and Inspection ..........................................15
2.2 Equipment Checklist...................................................16
2.3 Switches and Indicators..............................................17

3
Setup and Self Test ...............................................................21
3.1 Checking Voltage Selection .......................................21
3.2 Installing Print Media ................................................22
3.3 Power Up Self Test....................................................27
3.4 Explanation of the Self Test Label .............................28
3.5 Print Test Label .........................................................30
3.6 Monitoring Input After Self Test ...............................32
3.7 Printhead Pressure and Support Adjustment..............33
3.8 Modes of Operation...................................................35
3.9 Selecting the Mode ....................................................36
3.10 Using Standard Input Mode .......................................36
3.11 Setting the Baud Rate and Word Length ....................37
3.12 Using the Present Sensor Option ...............................38
3.13 Maintenance ..............................................................39

I
4
Using the Printer...................................................................41
4.1 Printer Command Interpreter.....................................41
4.2 Control Code Reference ............................................43
4.3 System Level Commands — Immediate ....................44
4.4 System Level Commands ..........................................45
4.5 Label Formatting Commands.....................................48
4.6 Field Definition — Human Readable Fields...............51
4.7 Field Definition — Bar Code Fields...........................52
4.8 Graphic Images .........................................................53
4.9 Printing Lines and Boxes ...........................................56
4.10 Defining and Printing a Label ....................................56
4.11 Register Loading........................................................62
4.12 Label Formatting Commands.....................................64
4.13 System and Formatting Commands ...........................69
4.14 Controlling Print Quality ...........................................72

5
Using the Printer's Internal Labeling Software...................75
5.1 P reparing the Printer for Use With a LINK CRT.........75
5.1.1 Connect Cables..................................................76
5.1.2 LINK CRT Settings ...........................................76
5.1.3 Select Stand-Alone Labeling Software Mode.....77
5.1.4 Verify Setup, Power Up, and Load Media..........78
5.1.5 Install and Configure a Memory Module ...........78
5.2 Function Keys ............................................................81
5.2.1 ALT Keys ..........................................................82
5.3 Other Important Keys .................................................85
5.4 Create/Modify Label Screen........................................85
5.5 Print Label Screen ......................................................94
5.6 System Maintenance Screen........................................96

II
Appendix A
ASCII Control Code Chart..................................................1

Appendix B
DIP Switch Settings.............................................................1

Appendix C
Interface Cable Applications................................................1
Pin Connections............................................................1
Null Modem Cable........................................................2
Straight Cable (MM) .....................................................2
PC (DB25P) to Printer...................................................3
PC (DB9P) to Printer ....................................................4

Appendix D
Available Fonts and Bar Codes............................................1
I. Standard Human Readable Fonts ............................1
II. BAR CODES With Interpretation Line....................2
III. Standard Fonts - Human Readable Examples ..........4
IV .................................................. Bar Code Examples
11

Appendix E
Transmitted Error Codes .....................................................1

Warranty Information
Printer .................................................................................1
Thermal Printhead...............................................................1
Warranty Service Procedures ..............................................2
General Warranty Provisions...............................................2
Limitation of Liability..........................................................3

III
1
Product Description

The Prodigy Label Printer, hereafter referred to as 'the Printer' is a high-

performance, low-cost thermal and thermal transfer label Printer.
Powerful capabilities and easy to use features set a new price/
performance standard for industrial direct thermal and thermal transfer
label printers.

The Printer has a maximum print speed of up to 4 inches per second

(101.6 mm/sec.) All popular bar codes are resident in the Printer's
memory and can be printed with or without human readable
interpretations. Nine different character fonts can be printed in any one
of four directions. Each character font is unique, and can be multiplied
into 14 different magnifications, each with its own set of dot tables. This
feature allows the Printer to print characters from .035 inch (.9 mm) to
7.68 inches (195.1 mm) high.

In addition to the built-in human readable and bar code fonts, the
Printer can accept “picture images” that directly address the dot
generation of the Printer. Several PC-based scanning and image editing
packages are compatible with the Printer’s imaging capabilities.

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Product Description Page - 1
For printing high-density bar codes and very small characters, the
printhead has an extremely fine 5 mil element size, which gives the
Printer 203 DPI (dots per inch) print resolution. Although the Printer is
able to produce 5 mil pixels, the actual pixel size can also be multiplied
by two in the horizontal direction and by two or three in the vertical
direction, this amounts to a maximum pixel size of 10 mil by 15 mil. An
optional 152 dot per inch (6 dot/mm) printhead (Prodigy 152) is also
available. It is approximately 25% less dense, yet can print 100%
UPC/EAN and 9.6 cpi Code 39.

Several innovative new features are designed into the Printer. For
example, label formatting can be done while printing is taking place,
eliminating the need for slow memory-intensive bit-mapping. This not
only reduces the size and cost of the Printer, but also allows an
impressive maximum label size of 4.65" (118 mm) x 99.99" (2.5 meters).
Labels generated in the 5 mil pixel mode can maintain 2" (50.8 mm) per
second. For labels in the 10 mil and 15 mil pixel modes, print rates of
3" and 4" per second (76.2 mm and 101.6 mm) are easily attained. The
optional 152 dpi printhead places less demand on the CPU, allowing
longer labels to be printed at faster speeds.

Software-selectable printhead temperature, print speed, slew rates, and

form dimensions provide the option of storing a wide variety of
parameters, thus eliminating time for manual adjustments. This is
especially helpful when using several different types or brands of label
stock, or when switching between direct thermal printing and thermal
transfer printing.

The Printer hosts both RS-232C and RS-422 computer interfaces. The
Printer can be driven from almost any host computer, or in stand-alone
configuration with built-in label batch software. For stand-alone label
printing, the Printer is connected directly to a CRT. Label formats are
stored in plug-in memory cartridges. Approximately 50 typical label
formats can be stored in each module.

For applications that require a larger data base of label formats, refer to
Datamax's PC-Batch TM Software for IBM PCs® and compatibles.

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Page - 2 Product Description
Applications

The Printer is designed for use in many different types of applications.

Examples include:
*Point of sale *Warehouse ticketing
*Parts count labeling *Inventory control labeling
*Retail merchandise labeling *Pharmaceutical labels
*Deli labeling *Retail garment
*VICS standard labels *Price marking
*HIBC (Health Industry) *Military LOGMARS
*UPC shipping container labels *Work in process
*Bakery *Document tracking
*Asset management *Serial numbering
*ID plates *TALC tickets
*Time/attendance *Product labeling
*Shelf labeling *Property identification
*Cataloging *Baggage/boarding tags/passes
*Item tracking
*AIAG (Auto Industry Action Group)

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Product Description Page - 3
Features

Additional features of the Printer include:

* Thermal transfer and direct thermal printing

* Extremely high dot density (203 dots/inch, 8 dots/mm); optional 152
dots/inch, (6 dots/mm)
* Prints up to 4.0" (101 mm)/sec
* Large maximum media size: 4.65"W x 99.99"L (118 mm x
2539 mm)
* Print area of 4.4"W x 99.99"L (112 mm x 2539 mm);
optional 152 print area 4.15" W x 99.99"L (105mm x
2539mm)
* User-selectable bar code ratios and heights
* Printing on label, ticket, and tag stock; both die cut and continuous
form
* Self-peeling demand mode, internal rewind mechanism for
rewinding label backing
* Easy to load label stock and transfer ribbon mechanism
* Dot-addressable graphics function; IBM PC® compatible driven
scanner packages
* Diagnostics - Self test
* Protocol - XON/XOFF; CTS/DTR
* User selectable and software-selectable:
Printhead temperatures Slew rates
Form dimensions Print speeds

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Page - 4 Product Description
Compliances

FCC: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with
the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide
reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in
which case the user will be required to correct the
interference at his or her own expense.

UL: The Prodigy is listed under UL 1950 INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY EQUIPMENT, file number E156091

CSA: DATAMAX Corporation has been authorized by Canadian

Standards Association to represent the Prodigy as CSA
Certified under CSA Standard C22.2 No 220-M1986, file
number LR68943-13.

VDE: DATAMAX Corporation certifies that the Prodigy label

Printer complies with the RFI suppression requirement of
Vfg 1046/1984 for VDE Class B equipment.

TUV-GS: The Prodigy Printer has been tested and complies with EN
60 950/06.88 and bears the TUV-GS mark. License
Number: S9371819.

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__
Product Description Page - 5
1.1 Specifications
Printing
Type: Direct thermal or thermal transfer

Print Speed: 1.0" (25.4 mm) per second to 4.0" (101.6

mm) per second

White Space Slew Rate: 1.0" (25.4 mm) per second to 4.0"(101.6
mm) per second

Maximum Fields Per Label: 100

Minimum Dot Size: 0.005" (0.127 mm) square

Optional Dot Sizes: 0.010" (0.254 mm), 0.015" (0.381 mm)

vertical, 0.010" (0.254 mm) horizontal

Font Styles: Prodigy: Nine alphanumeric fonts from

0.035"H (0.9 mm) to 7.68"H (195.1 mm)
including OCR-A and OCR-B.
Prodigy 152: has nine alphanumeric fonts
from .047"H (1 mm) to 10.24"H (260 mm).

Character Density: Prodigy: 33.83 cpi FONT 0 at 1X, .70 cpi

FONT 6 at 8X
Prodigy 152: 25.64 cpi FONT 0 at 1X, .54
cpi FONT 6 at 8X

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__
Page - 6 Product Description
Bar Code Fonts: Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, (maximum 8
interleaved 2 of 5 per label) CODABAR,
Code 128, UPC-A and UPC-E, EAN-13 and
EAN-8, Plessey, Universal Shipping
Container Symbology, Code 39 variations to
produce all industry standards such as
LOGMARS, HIBC, and AIAG

Bar Code Density: Prodigy: 12.69 cpi, Code 3 of 9, 0.005"

narrow bar, 3:1 ratio 6.34 cpi, Code 3 of 9,
0.010" narrow bar, 3:1 ratio
Prodigy 152: 9.6 cpi, Code 39, 0.0066"
narrow bar, 3:1 ratio, 4.81 cpi, Code 39,
0.013" narrow bar, 3:1 ratio

Media
Width: 0.75"(19 mm) to 4.65"(118 mm)

Length: 0.50"(13 mm) to 99.99"(2539 mm)

Thickness: 0.0023"(0.06 mm) to .010" (0.254 mm)

Type: Roll-fed, die-cut labels, tags, tickets, and

continuous forms

Supply Roll Capacity: 8" (203 mm) maximum outside diameter on

standard 1.5" (38 mm) and 3"(76 mm) core.
6250" lineal stock, 0.0065 thick

Capacity in Rewind Mode: 5"(127 mm) maximum outside diameter on

internal rewind spindle 1.5" core (38 mm).
2100" lineal stock, 0.0065 thick

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__
Product Description Page - 7
Label Material: Thermal transfer-plain coated papers, vinyl,
Mylar, metalized paper, nonwoven fabric,
fine woven fabric, thermal-visible light
scannable paper, infrared scannable paper,
thermal ticket/tag stock, thermally sensitive
plastic stock

Thermal Transfer Ribbon: Black or colored inks; 360 meters long, 4.6
microns, backcoated, ±10% label width

Indicators and Switches

Indicator Lights: POWER, RIBBON/PAPER OUT, PAUSE

Switches: POWER, STOP/CANCEL, PAUSE, FEED,

TRANSFER ON, Rear configuration DIP
switch (SW1), and Darkness potentiometer.

Communications Interfacing

Communications: IEEE RS-232C and RS-422 at 150, 300,

600, 1200, 2400, 4800, or 9600 baud

Character Set: ANSI ASCII character set

Word Length: Selectable 7 or 8 bit data format

Handshaking: XON/XOFF and CTS/DTR

Input Buffer: 15,359 bytes, XOFF is transmitted and DTR

goes low when 15,059 bytes are in the
buffer. XON is transmitted and DTR goes
high when 255 bytes are left in the buffer.

Data is transmitted with no parity from the Printer.

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__
Page - 8 Product Description
Electrical
Input Voltage: 115 VAC ±10%, single phase 50/60 Hz
230 VAC ±10%, single phase 50/60 Hz

Circuit Protection: At 115V = 1.5A Slo Blo;

At 230V = circuit breaker at 1.2A

Grounding: Unit must be connected to a properly

grounded receptacle

Environmental
Temperature: 40° F to 100° F (4° C to 38° C)

Humidity: 10% to 95% noncondensing

Ventilation: Free air movement

Dust: Nonconducting, noncorrosive

Electromagnetic Radiation: Moderate RF fields can be tolerated

Mechanical
Size: 10"H x 10"W x 18"D
(25.4 cm H x 25.4 cm W x 45.72 cm D)

Weight: 35 lb. (15.87 kg.)

Options
32K SRAM Memory Module
Centronics Parallel Interface Adapter
Present Sensor
IBM PC compatible software for batch labeling systems; dot addressable graphics
definition; and module programming

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__
Product Description Page - 9
1.2 Printer Options
The Printer hosts a number of different options that can be added to the
Printer for additional versatility. These options are described below.

CRT Terminal

A CRT terminal interface is available for configuring the Printer as a

stand-alone label definition and batch label printing system. Application
software is built into the Printer and can be turned “ON” or “OFF” by
switches that are located on the rear of the Printer. When this internal
application software is selected, prompts for label creation and label
printing can be directly controlled by the Printer. Label formats are
stored on optional 32K SRAM memory modules.

Memory Modules

Optional 32K SRAM memory modules can be purchased to extend the

capabilities of the Printer in its CRT-based batch labeling system
mode(s). These memory modules can also be used to store bit-mapped
graphic images that are created by a host computing device. The
memory module(s) can be dedicated for either label formats or bit-
mapped graphic image arrays, or a 16K split of each.

PC-Batch Software

PC-Batch label creating and batch printing software is available for

IBM PCs and compatibles. The software has the look and feel of the
built-in application software, but uses a PC’s memory and disk storage
to extend the capabilities of the Printer.

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__
Page - 10 Product Description
Present Sensor
The Printer can be configured for a “one up” printing mode. With the
sensor installed and enabled, the Printer will not print the next label in
its internal buffer(s) until the last label printed has been removed from
the Printer. Quantities of labels (printed one at a time) can still be
requested by the internal batch labeling software or by remote
computing devices.

1.3 Supplies
Print Media

The Printer is capable of both direct thermal and thermal transfer

printing. The Printer allows for software and direct setting of many
printing parameters, such as the head temperature, print speed, and slew
rates. This enables the Printer to be compatible with many direct
thermal or thermal transfer media.

Media sizes can range from 0.75"(19 mm) wide by 0.50"(13 mm) long to
4.65" (118 mm) wide by 99.99"(2539 mm) long. Label edge sensing is
carried out by an optical photo sensor located 1/4" from the left edge of
the media as it is fed out of the Printer. The sensor establishes the
leading edge of a label, tag, or form by measuring levels of opaqueness.
This sensor is controlled by the microprocessor in the Printer and
requires no adjustment when changing media. Media thickness can
range from 0.0023" (0.06 mm) to .008" (0.20 mm).

Supply rolls are to be wound on standard 1.5" (38 mm) or 3" (76 mm)
inside diameter cores. The maximum roll diameter should not exceed 8"
(203 mm).

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__
Product Description Page - 11
Common direct thermal stocks include visible-light scannable paper,
infrared scannable paper, thermal ticket, tag, and sensitive plastic stocks.
A similar list of thermal transfer stocks includes plain coated vinyl,
Mylar, metalized paper, and nonwoven and fine woven fabrics.

Consider three important factors when selecting direct thermal media:

1. The abrasive qualities of the material that covers the thermal

reactive layer of the paper.
2. The ability of that layer to control the chemical reaction that
occurs when the image is “burned.”
3. The amount of heat required to image the paper.

If the coating layer is too abrasive, the printhead will be “sanded off” at
a faster rate than would normally occur. If the layer cannot contain the
reaction, the printhead will become “pitted,” and the dots across the web
of the printhead will fail.

The reaction temperature, or the temperature at which the chemical

process causes an image to print, is important because the greater the
degree of heat required to image the paper, the greater the amount of
time needed for the printhead and paper to cool. This process reduces
the maximum print speed that can be obtained with the media.

The abrasive qualities of the media are not as critical in thermal transfer
applications because the thermal transfer ribbon not the media is in
contact with the printhead .

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__
Page - 12 Product Description
Thermal Transfer Ribbons

Use of ribbons other than those supplied or approved by the

manufacture's Value Added Resellers (VARs) or by the manufacture
may result in a poor quality printing of bar codes and their ability to be
scanned and /or may invalidate the printhead warranty. The
manufacture's ribbons are:

* Black ink, scratch, and smudge resistant

* 1182 feet long (360 meters), 4.6 microns thick
* 1 inch core, no notch required
* Ink side in
* 1 foot opaque leader for opaque ribbons; clear leader for transparent
ribbons
* 1 foot clear trailer for opaque ribbons; opaque trailer for transparent
ribbons
* Backcoating required.

One ribbon has the capacity to image two full 8" diameter rolls wound
on 3" ID cores.

A wide variety of ribbon sizes, formulas, and colors are available from
the manufacture.

It is recommended that the width of the thermal transfer ribbon be the

same or nearly the same width (±10%) as the label width used in an
application.

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Product Description Page - 13
Label/Tag Media Specifications

Description MAX(in.) MIN(in.)

A Label width 4.650 0.750
B Backing width 4.650 0.750
C Gap between labels 99.99 0.100
D Label length 99.99 0.500
E Backing thickness 0.010 0.0023
F Label thickness 0.010 0.0023
G Width of sensor opening 0.500 0.200
H Distance from edge of media 2.250 0.200
to edge of sensor opening

Lists of Approved Media

For a current list of approved standard media for use in this Printer,
please contact your Value Added Reseller or call the manufacture at the
telephone or fax number indicated on inside front page.

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__
Page - 14 Product Description
2
Getting Started

2.1 Unpacking and Inspection

Inspect the shipping container(s) for signs of being dropped, crushed or
punctured. If damage is evident, contact the carrier directly to specify
the nature and extent of the damage.

The Printer is packed in custom styrofoam packaging. The Printer itself

is enclosed in a plastic bag to reduce the chance of moisture damage
during shipping. After removing the Printer from this plastic bag,
remove any additional packing material from the Printer mechanism.
(This material is placed in the Printer mechanism to prevent vibration
during shipping).

The front door panel of the Printer is shipped in a separate bag and
needs to be installed on the front of the Printer.

To install the front panel, locate the two hinge pins on the left-hand side
of the Printer. Hold the panel vertically and perpendicular to the front
of the Printer, align the two hinge pins with the panel and lower the
panel into place.

________________________________________________________
__
Getting Started Page - 15
2.2 Equipment Checklist
In addition to the Printer, the shipping container(s) should include the
following standard items:

* Printer's Operators Manual

* Front door panel (packaged separately)

* 20 fan-folded labels

* Thermal transfer ribbon rewind clamp

* Back rewind/label rewind clamp

* Power cord

Additionally, items purchased separately may be included. These items

might include:

* Additional labels

* Additional ribbons

* Interface cables

* CRT terminal

* Memory module cartridges

* PC-Batch software

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__
Page - 16 Getting Started
2.3 Switches and Indicators
The Printer has 3 function buttons, 3 indicator lights, 3 switches
including a 8 position DIP switch on the back of the Printer, and a
Darkness potentiometer for print quality control. These buttons,
switches and indicators are shown in figures 2-1 and 2-2, with
descriptions for each in the section that follows.

Figure 2-1 Front Panel (Front Cover Open)

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__
Getting Started Page - 17
 Figure 2-2 Rear View

PAUSE Button-- The PAUSE Button, when pressed, causes the

Printer to temporarily stop the printing of labels
after the current label is printed. All data is still
held in memory. The Printer can resume
printing by pressing the PAUSE Button a
second time.

FEED Button-- The FEED Button, when pressed,

automatically advances the media to the first
print position on the next label.

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Page - 18 Getting Started
STOP/CANCEL The STOP/CANCEL Button, when
Button-- pressed, stops and cancels the current run of
labels. The Printer will then begin to print the
next (if any) batch of labels stored in the print
buffer.

PAUSE Indicator The PAUSE Indicator Lamp will light when

Lamp-- the PAUSE Button is pressed, the lamp will go
out when the button is pressed again.

PAPER/RIBBON The PAPER/RIBBON Indicator Lamp

Indicator Lamp-- will light when the Printer's sensors cannot
detect the presence of media or ribbon or both,
or if the Printer fails to sense T.O.F (Top of
Form).

POWER Indicator-- The POWER indicator should be ON whenever

the Printer's power switch on the rear of the unit
is turned ON.

DARKNESS Control A Darkness adjustment potentiometer is located

Potentiometer-- on the front panel. Turning the potentiometer
clockwise increases the burn time of the
printhead, thus producing a darker image on the
label. Turning the potentiometer counter-
clockwise decreases the burn time of the
printhead thus lightening the image on the label.
This adjustment should be used after printhead
replacement to supplement the difference in
printhead characteristics. Do not adjust the
Darkness to make up for other Printer
adjustments, this could lead to print quality
problems in the future.

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Getting Started Page - 19
TRANSFER ON In Thermal Transfer printing, the individual dot
Switch-- elements of the printhead apply heat to a ribbon.
The “ink” on the ribbon is a specially
formulated material that is literally melted into
the print media, bonding with the media to
produce an image. The Transfer On Switch
(Figure 2-1) must be set to ON (to the right) to
use this printing method.

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Page - 20 Getting Started
3
Setup and Self Test

The Printer has a unique SETUP AND SELF TEST routine that should
be run after unpacking and physical inspection to ensure the Printer was
not damaged during shipment. The self test will save time and
familiarize you with the Printer's function that can be set, such as
temperature, print speed, and slew rate.

In the SETUP AND SELF TEST procedure, the Printer will be loaded
and tested with both types of media and ran in both print modes (Direct
& Thermal Transfer).

3.1 Checking Voltage Selection

The standard Printer is shipped in a configuration that allows it to be
connected to a properly grounded 115 VAC single-phase 50/60 Hz
outlet. The maximum current draw will not exceed 2 amps. The line
voltage should not fluctuate more than 10% and the Printer should be
connected to a properly grounded receptacle. The Printer has a small
sticker next to CJ1 (the power cord connection) that states the power
requirements.

________________________________________________________
__
Setup and Self Test Page - 21
The Printer is also manufactured for 230 VAC operation. Most of these
Printers are shipped to international markets. If you are at all uncertain
about the configuration of the Printer, or the outlet you are connecting
to, check with a qualified service technician to verify the installation
before connecting power.

3.2 Installing Print Media

The Printer is designed for easy label stock and ribbon installation. A
diagram located under the cover of the Printer shows the feed path for
print media(s). Simply lift the cover of the printer from the right-hand
side and open the front cover for installation instructions.

Media Loading Instructions:

1. Slide the Media Retainer to the outer end of the Supply Hanger,
and fold the Media Retainer to its down position.

2. Place a roll of the chosen media onto the Supply Hanger. Rotate
the Media Retainer to its up position and slide it inward until its
just touching the roll of media.

Figure 3-1 Installing Roll Media

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Page - 22 Setup and Self Test
 3. Disengage the printhead by rotating the Head Lift Lever
clockwise to the UP position.

4. Loosen the Label Adjust Guide and slide it outward.

5. Insert the label media as shown.

Figure 3-2 Media Routing

6. Slide the Label Adjust Guide inward until it just touches the
media, tighten the guide in place.

7. Engage the printhead by rotating the Head Lift Lever

counterclockwise to the DOWN position.

8. Press the FEED button a few times to insure proper alignment of

the media.

________________________________________________________
__
Setup and Self Test Page - 23
NOTE: Insure the TRANSFER switch is in the OFF position if a
thermal transfer ribbon is not installed. If this is not
done the Printer will only feed about .25" of media each
time the FEED button is pushed.

Media Rewind Instructions

1. Remove the front door Window Cover.

2. Fasten the Rewind Adapter to the front of the Printer as shown.

Figure 3-3 Attaching the Rewind Adapter

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Page - 24 Setup and Self Test
 3. Route the media so that it passes over the Rewind Adapter as
shown in Figure 3.4.

4. Route the end of the media around the Media Rewinder and
replace the Clasp to hold it in place.

Figure 3-4 Routing Media for Rewinding

________________________________________________________
__
Setup and Self Test Page - 25
Ribbon Loading Instructions

1. Disengage the Printhead by rotating the Head Lift Lever

clockwise to the UP position.

2. Slide the ribbon spool onto the Ribbon Supply Hub.

3. Route the ribbon and replace the clasp over the ribbon as shown
in Figure 3.5.

4. Engage the printhead by rotating the Head Lift Lever

counterclockwise to the DOWN position.

Figure 3-5 Ribbon Loading

5. Press the FEED button a few times to insure proper alignment of

the ribbon.

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Page - 26 Setup and Self Test
Alternate Ribbon Loading Instructions

When loading partial ribbons, or ribbons with leaders that have a high
elasticity, you may have some difficulty removing the clasp after the
ribbon has been consumed. As an alternate method of loading the
ribbon, you can neatly wrap the ribbon over a 1.3" paper ribbon core,
turning the take up spindle until the ribbon appears to track smoothly
through the Printer. When the ribbon has been consumed, the ribbon
can easily be removed from the spindle.

3.3 Power Up Self Test

Once labels are installed in the Printer, a self test should be performed.
The Printer will power up in the SELF TEST mode when the FEED
button is depressed as the Printer is being turned on. The Printer should
be loaded with 4.5" wide stock whenever this test is conducted. The self
test prints across the entire width of the printhead.

If a label edge is not detected within 12" of stock, the Printer will stop
feeding labels. If this occurs, refer back to section 3.2 and re-feed the
media. If a label edge was detected, the Printer will begin to print the
SELF TEST pattern.

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Setup and Self Test Page - 27
3.4 Explanation of the Self Test Label
Below is an illustration of an actual Configuration Label. The label
contains information of the Printer's current setup settings, as well as the
RAM and ROM checksums, and other important information.

PROGRAM VERSION: 02.4 10/22/90

SYSTEM ROM CHECKSUM: 9D IS GOOD

FONT ROM CHECKSUM: A8 IS GOOD
TOTAL ROM SUM: 45 IS GOOD
SYSTEM RAM-U15 CHECKS GOOD
SYSTEM RAM-U16 CHECKS GOOD
SYSTEM RAM-U17 CHECKS GOOD

SERIAL PORT BAUD RATE IS 9600

TRANSFER SWITCH IS ON
SETUP SWITCH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF

ANALOG INPUT VALUES:

PAPER: 236 EDGE: 184 TEMP 064 VOLT: 228

Figure 3-6 Configuration Label

The following is an explanation of the Configuration Label in

Figure 3-6.

PROGRAM VERSION: 02.4 10/22/90

This line contains the Printers firmware version level.

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Page - 28 Setup and Self Test
SYSTEM ROM CHECKSUM: 9D IS GOOD
FONT ROM CHECKSUM: A8 IS GOOD
TOTAL ROM SUM: 45 IS GOOD
SYSTEM RAM-U15 CHECKS GOOD
SYSTEM RAM-U16 CHECKS GOOD
SYSTEM RAM-U17 CHECKS GOOD

These lines list the results and values of all RAM and ROM
Checksums.

SERIAL PORT BAUD RATE IS 9600

This line contains the Printer's Serial Port baud rate setting.

TRANSFER SWITCH IS ON

This line states whether the Transfer Switch on the front of the
Printer is ON or OFF.

SETUP SWITCH 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF

This line contains the positions of the Printer's DIP switches.

ANALOG INPUT VALUES:

PAPER: 236 EDGE: 184 TEMP 064 VOLT: 228

These lines list the values of the sensors and adjustment

potentiometers within the Printer.

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Setup and Self Test Page - 29
3.5 Print Test Label
The Print Test Label consists of a test pattern of printed bars, this label
can be used to isolate problems in print quality and to determine bad
printheads or rollers.

Figure 3-7 Print Test Label

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Page - 30 Setup and Self Test
If you want to perform the TXD/RXD and CTS/DTR loop checks, you
will need to fabricate a test plug as illustrated below in Figure 3.8
Connect the plug to the RS-232 connector on the back of the Printer and
run the self test again.

Figure 3-8 Test Plugs

If the Printer passes the loop back checks the following two line will
print on the Self Test label.

SERIAL LOOP BACK CHECK IS GOOD

CTS & DTR LOOP BACK CHECK IS GOOD

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Setup and Self Test Page - 31
3.6 Monitoring Input After Self Test
After the self test is complete, the Printer goes into a mode that is very
useful in two major situations. The first situation involves checking
serial transmissions from the sending device to the Printer. The second
situation involves monitoring data that is to be interpreted as graphic
control statements.

Any character received will be printed. The Printer will print the data in
its buffer as soon as a full line of information has been received, or after
a pause of 1/4 of a second in received data is registered.

The complete set of ASCII characters can be printed by the Printer

including the characters that have values ranging from 0 to 31. These
characters will be represented by their control codes. An ASCII NUL
(DEC 00, HEX 00) character has a value of 0 and is represented by a
control“@” or “^@”. The ASCII SOH character (DEC 01, HEX 01) has
a value of 1 and is represented by a “^A”. The STX and ETX are “^B”
and “^C” respectively. This pattern continues through ASCII value 31,
the US character. Character values greater than 31 will print as the
actual ASCII character. See APPENDIX A for a table of ASCII
character values.

When you have finished with the self test, reset the Printer by turning
the main POWER switch off and on.

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3.7 Printhead Pressure and Support Adjustment
The Printers printhead pressure is not adjustable. Two springs in the
head mount assembly apply a fixed 9.5 lbs of force upon the printhead.

The adjustment of the Printhead Support may be required if you are

changing from wide full width media to narrow media that is
significantly different in terms of thickness.

The head support plate exists for the purpose of supporting the outer
end of the printhead when narrow media is used. Without this support,
the printhead would bear down on the drive roller, causing diminished
print quality and premature wear. The head support plate needs to be
engaged only when the media width is less than 4 inches.

To make the adjustment, loosen the two mount screws that fasten the
head support plate, leaving the screw on the left snug (see Figure 3-9).
Using the media to be printed on, cut a strip about 5 inches long. Place
the strip between the drive roller and the printhead, and then engage the
printhead by rotating the head lift lever to the down position. Then
push down on the head support plate on the right hand side until it
comes in contact with the roller bearing plate just below it. Finally,
tighten the two mount screws to secure the support plate.

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Setup and Self Test Page - 33
 Figure 3-9 Printhead Adjustment

NOTE: The mount screws which secure the head support plate
also secure the ribbon shield. When loosening these
screws, be aware that both the plate and the shield are
adjustable. If you move one, the other may move also.

NOTE: For narrow stock the head support plate should be

adjusted so that the print image on the outside edge of
the label begins to lighten. Then gradually lower the
head support plate until the print quality becomes
acceptable. This should keep the printhead off of the
roller. It would be advisable for the print quality on the
outer edge to be lighter—if possible. This will ensure
that the printhead does not come in contact with the
roller. When this procedure is done you will have to
realign the ribbon shield to compensate for ribbon
tracking.

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3.8 Modes of Operation
Before operating the Printer, the correct mode of operation must be
selected. Standard input and stand-alone batch labeling are the two
different modes of operation available.

Standard Input

In this mode, the Printer receives ASCII data from the RS-232C/RS-422
serial data input port and prints characters on label media as requested
by graphic control statements that the host device generates. All of the
Printer commands can be accessed and the limits of the Printer are
controlled by the host device.

This is the most widely used mode. Any Printer that is controlled by an
intelligent host device performing the label formatting will use this mode
of the printer. For example PC-Batch software (compatible with IBM
PCs) uses this operating mode.

Stand-Alone Batch Labeling System

In this mode, a CRT terminal is connected to the Printer's serial data

input/output port. Software that resides in the Printer is selected by
special switch settings. The printer then manages a set of CREATE and
PRINT screens where label formats can be designed and printed. Data
entered while creating labels is stored on optional SRAM cartridges.
These formats can be recalled by operators on the CRT screen during
print sessions and quantities of a particular format can be printed.

Further information about this mode of operation can be found in

Chapter 5.

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Setup and Self Test Page - 35
3.9 Selecting the Mode
After the mode of operation is determined, the function switch on the
back of the Printer can be changed to select the desired mode. Turn the
Printer OFF while making changes to the switch settings (function
switches are only read during power-up).

SW1-5
STANDARD INPUT OFF
STAND-ALONE BATCH ON

3.10 Using Standard Input Mode

For most applications, the interface between the Printer and the host
device will be RS-232C. The cable needed to connect the Printer to the
host will be either a straight through or null modem cable. This cable
connects the DB-25 connector labeled J2 on the back of the Printer to
the serial data connector on the host device.

Several cables for typical interfaces are listed in Appendix C. The pin
configuration of the Printer for most descriptions of the RS-232
interface on a DB-25 connector is DTE (Data Terminal Equipment), that
is, pin 2 is transmit, 3 is receive, and 7 is ground.

The Printer supports both XON/XOFF and CTS/DTR handshaking.

Whenever the Printer is interfaced in a mode that will be using
XON/XOFF, a jumper must be placed between pins 5 and 4 to enable
the operation of the Printer's transmit line.

For connection to most host systems, the XON/XOFF handshaking

works to reduce the number of wires needed in the interface cable. For
interfacing RS-422 devices, the XON/XOFF handshake is the only
appropriate method.

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3.11 Setting the Baud Rate and Word Length
For all modes of operation, you must set the baud rate of the interface.
On the back of the Printer, you will find a single eight-position DIP
switch. Positions 1, 2, and 3 control the setting of the baud rate.

The following table gives the position of the three switches and the
corresponding baud rate that can be obtained by each setting:

S1-1 S1-2 S1-3

9600 OFF OFF OFF
4800 OFF OFF ON
2400 OFF ON OFF
1200 OFF ON ON
600 ON OFF OFF
300 ON OFF ON
19200 ON ON OFF
TEST/9600 ON ON ON

The Printer can accept 7- or 8-bit data, while ignoring parity. It also
requires at least 1 stop bit. This configuration assures the greatest
compatibility with most serial devices, even if the data format
arrangement of the host cannot be modified. Switch S1-4, located on
the back of the Printer, selects the word length.

S1-4
7-BIT WORD ON
8-BIT WORD OFF

NOTE: It will be necessary to select the 8-bit mode if you want

to access the foreign language characters from the
ASCII Code chart. These characters are available in
fonts 1–6.

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Setup and Self Test Page - 37
3.12 Using the Present Sensor Option
With the addition of the PRESENT SENSOR option, the Printer can be
configured for “one up” printing mode. With the sensor installed and
enabled, the Printer will not print the next label in its internal buffer(s)
until the last label printed has been removed from the Printer.
Quantities of labels (printed one at a time) can still be requested by
remote computing devices.

S1-6 on the back of the Printer enables the sensor. The Printer must be
reset in order to read in the switch setting.

S1-6
ENABLE SENSOR ON
DISABLE SENSOR OFF

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3.13 Maintenance
Very little Printer maintenance is required. Keeping the Printer clean
will help insure trouble free operation. Points of interest include:

3.13.1 Printhead

WARNING: Turn OFF the Printer and unplug the unit from
the outlet before cleaning the printhead.

The Printhead can become dirty from operation. Regular cleaning

(approx. every 2000 inches dependent on media material) of the
printhead should be done to insure print quality. This printhead is easily
cleaned by using a cotton swab and Isopropyl Alcohol (see Figure 3-10).

Figure 3-10 Printhead Cleaning

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Setup and Self Test Page - 39
3.13.2 Internal/External Cleaning

WARNING: Turn OFF the Printer and unplug the unit

from the outlet before cleaning any part on the
Printer.

A periodical cleaning should be done on all rollers, guides and

assemblies. Isopropyl Alcohol can be used to clean these areas. This
will insure all items are free from residue and will not contribute to any
Printer malfunctions.

The outside of the Printer can be kept clean by using a soft damp (not
wet) cloth. A mild detergent may be used to remove heavier stains. Do
not use abrasive cleaners.

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4
Using the Printer

4.1 Printer Command Interpreter

After the cable is connected and the baud rate of the interface is selected,
you are ready to start formatting labels.

Typical line printers require little, if any, formatting of data to trigger

printing. Nearly any string of characters sent to a line printer terminated
with an ASCII CR (DEC 13, HEX 0D) will work. Many line printers
include special features to increase or decrease the standard width of
print, line spacing, page length, and so on. The ability to print graphics
(lines, pie charts, large characters, and possibly bar codes) is generated
by a host computer creating these patterns. This type of printing usually
takes more processing time.

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Using the Printer Page - 41
The Printer handles the printing of graphics in a manner that requires
less system overhead by the host device. All of the dot patterns for nine
different human readable fonts, and formulas for creating different types
of bar codes are built directly into the Printer. All of these fonts and bar
codes are presented in several different magnifications in APPENDIX D.
Notice that each one has been assigned a single letter or digit. This
character is used to select a font in the graphics request statement.

Unlike a line Printer whose only option is to print data received on the
next line or to a line further down in a document, the Printer allows the
host device to select where and how data is to appear on a label. The
rotation of the data, the selection and magnification of the font style, and
the data for each field can be controlled by the host through simple
graphic request statements. The Printer has a 3000 character area that is
able to store data that can be printed on a label in up to 99 different
fields. Each field description may request the Printer to print up to 255
characters.

In addition to the control you have on “what” and “where” data is to be

printed, the Printer also allows you to control the “how.” The how
includes commands that control the burn temperature, the print speed,
the slew rate during white space, and the amount of pre-calculation
before images are printed on the stock.

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4.2 Control Code Reference
The commands that are executed by the host device fall into two basic
categories: SYSTEM and LABEL FORMATTING commands.
SYSTEM commands control such functions as test pattern, setting and
clearing the front panel switches, and interactive communications to a
host device. LABEL FORMATTING commands include setting the
head temperature, print speed, slew rate, dot size, etc. LABEL
FORMATTING commands also describe the actual label to be printed.

The tables on the following pages list the SYSTEM and LABEL
FORMATTING commands that the Printer recognizes. All commands
at the SYSTEM level that are proceeded by an ASCII SOH (DEC 01,
HEX 01) character are executed immediately as they are received. All
commands at the SYSTEM level proceeded by the ASCII STX (DEC 02,
HEX 02) character are placed in the input buffer and are executed in the
order received after any current label printing job is completed. All
commands are terminated by an ASCII CR (DEC 13, HEX 0D) unless
otherwise noted.

By using the commands listed in these tables, the Printer can be

programmed with parameters for printing specific label formats.
Following the table listing is a section that explains in detail the outcome
of each command.

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Using the Printer Page - 43
4.3 System Level Commands — Immediate
These commands are interpreted before entry into the buffer; therefore,
they happen immediately.

Upper level commands invoked after the attention getter: $01 (^A).

COMMAN DESCRIPTION
D
# Reset command, executes a power-on reset. Can be
used as an operation cancel. Clears buffers and
initializes memory. All variables are set to default
values.
A Send Printer status (ASCII String). Printer sends a
string of 8 characters back to host device.
Character # Description
1 Command interpreter Busy ?
2 Paper out ?
3 Ribbon out ? Only when enabled
4 Printing batch ?
5 Busy printing ?
6 Printer paused ?
7 Label presented ? Only when enabled
8 Always 0

Each character position contains either a “Y” or “N”

representing whether that event is true.
B Toggle pause. Same as pressing front panel button.
C Set stop/cancel. Same as pressing front panel button.
D SOH shutdown. Command causes the Printer to
ignore
$01 (^A) commands.
E Send Batch Quantity. Printer sends back a four digit
number followed by a carriage return.

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4.3 System Level Commands — Immediate
(continued)
COMMAN DESCRIPTION
D
F Send Printer status (1 byte Hex). Printer sends a single
byte in which each bit represents one of the Printer’s
status flags.
Bit # Description
1 Command interpreter Busy ?
2 Paper out ?
3 Ribbon out ? Only when enabled
4 Printing batch ?
5 Busy printing ?
6 Printer paused ?
7 Label presented ? Only when enabled
8 Always N
Each bit position contains either a “1” or “0”
representing whether that event is true.

4.4 System Level Commands

SYSTEM LEVEL COMMANDS invoked after the attention getter $02
(^B).

COMMAN DESCRIPTION
D
A Reserved for future option.
a Enable feedback characters (characters 30 and 31) to
be transmitted. (Default Mode with Version 1.x).
B Reserved for future option.
b Switches the cutter command (^BHnnnn) back to the
Ver. 1.X mode
C Module copy command
Note: All Printer functions are shut down until copy
sequence is complete (including serial input).
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4.4 System Level Commands (continued)
COMMAN DESCRIPTION
D
cnnnn Set Continuous Paper Length. (For continuous forms
applications) nnnn = length of paper to feed per label
format. Set to zero for normal operation.
Dbaaaa Memory dump (TEST MODE COMMAND).
b = Bank address.
aaaa = 4-digit address.
Ennnn Set quantity to reprint (Followed by G command).
nnnn = 4 digits.
Max setting 9999 = quantity of labels.
F Form feed.
G Prints previously stored or printed label commands.
May also be used to restart a canceled batch if it was
the last processed label.
Hnnnn Sets the delay after the 5 msec cut signal pulse.
nnnn = # of 24 usec delays.
System default = 3125 (75 msec).
Iabfnnn... INPUT GRAPHICS DATA BLOCK
a = MEMORY MODULE BANK A (1st 1/2), B (2nd
1/2), or C(16K+)
b = (optional) A for 7 bit data, 8 bit if left out of
command
f = F for 7 bit IMG load file.
I for .IMG 8-bit format (image will be flipped)
i for .IMG 8-bit format (save image as received)
P for .PCX 8-bit format (image will be flipped)
p for .PCX 8-bit format (save image as received)
n = up to 8 characters for image name

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Using the Printer Page - 47
J Request memory module status
Response from Printer
x-bt<cr>
x=Y or N for bank checksum status
b=Bank partition being reported
t =G for graphics bank
L for label format bank
X for unformatted bank

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4.4 System Level Commands (continued)
COMMAND DESCRIPTION
Kbaaaa Change memory (TEST MODE COMMAND).
b = Bank address.
aaaa = 4-digit address.
L ENTER LABEL FORMATTING COMMAND input
mode. After entering LABEL FORMATTING mode,
the Printer expects FIELD RECORD definition and
LABEL FORMATTING commands until command
“E” or “X” is received.
Mnnnn Set maximum label length. ( 0.01" steps) which is used
for paper out sensing.
nnnn = 4 digits.
Max setting 9999 = 99.99 inches.
Default setting = 1200.
m Set METRIC flag. All parameters passed to the Printer
that make reference in this manual to be by 0.01" will
now reference 1 mm steps instead. All reference to
measurement will be metric values until the Printer is
reset.
N Switch from Standard Input mode to Stand-alone
Batch System.
Onnnn Set form edge offset.
nnnn = 4 digits for offset.
where 250 is the “zero” setting.
Settings below 50 are adjusted back to 250.
P When this command is received, the Printer enters the
“monitor” (self test) mode. Reset Printer to return to
normal operation.
QaCLEAR Clear memory module bank.
a = Memory Module Bank A, B, or C.
Rnnn Remove graphics images from memory module.
nnn = name of image up to 8 characters.
STEST Module Memory Test. You must have a CRT terminal
connected to the Printer’s communication port to
answer testing questions and to receive results.

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4.4 System Level Commands (continued)
COMMAND DESCRIPTION
T Print dot pattern test label.
Unnss.., Format register fill.
nn = String # in format, must be 2 digits.
ss = New string data followed by a <CR>.
Must equal original string length.
Vn Set pseudo switch settings.
n = 0-F System uses 4 bits to replace power-up
status of switches 5, 6, 7, and 8.
Wa Request memory module directory.
a = G for directory of graphics images.
L for directory of label format files.
Xatnnn FORMAT memory module partition.
a = Memory module bank A, B, or C.
t = Type, G for Graphics, L for label format.
nnn = Up to 8-character name of module bank.
Y Display analog inputs (TEST MODE FUNCTION).
Z Print human readable test data.

4.5 Label Formatting Commands

COMMANDS TO BE SENT AFTER “STX L” SYSTEM LEVEL
COMMANDS AND BEFORE FIELD DESCRIPTIONS
COMMAND DESCRIPTION
Cnnnn Set column offset amount.
nnnn = 4 digits of column offset.
Default setting = 0000.
Dhv Set horizontal and vertical dot size.
h = Horizontal dot size; can be 1 or 2.
v = Vertical dot size; can be 1, 2, or 3.
( 0.005" steps ) Default is “D22”
E Terminate field generation and print label.

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4.5 Label Formatting Commands (continued)
COMMAND DESCRIPTION
G Enter last field’s string into global table. Strings are
consecutively named within a label format starting
with A. Up to P strings may be stored into global
table.
Hnn Enter heat setting for label.
nn = 2 digits. 1 - 20.
10 is nominal and default.
m Set METRIC flag. Same function as ^Bm system
level command. The Printer must be reset in order to
return to standard measure.
Pa Enter maximum speed for print cycle. 1 digit.
a Speed.
A 1 " per second.
B 1.5" per second.
C 2 " per second.
D 2.5" per second.
E 3 " per second. Default.
F 3.5" per second.
G 4 " per second.
Qnnnn Quantity of labels to print.
nnnn = 4 digits of quantity.
Rnnnn Set row offset amount. (0.01" steps)
nnnn = 4 digits of row offset.
Default setting = 0000.
Sa Enter maximum slew rate speed for feeding of labels.
a Speed.
A 1 " per second.
B 1.5" per second.
C 2 " per second.
D 2.5" per second.
E 3 " per second.
F 3.5" per second.
G 4 " per second. Default.

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4.5 Label Formatting Commands (continued)
COMMAND DESCRIPTION
W Set to format label before printing. Will cause Printer
to format 560 dot rows into bit mapped RAM before
the first dot row is plotted to media.
X Terminate field generation and exit to command
processor. This command is used when the ^BE,
^BG, and ^BU commands will be used to modify a
fixed format.
+pii... Make last entered field incrementing.
p = Zero fill character.
ii... = Data added to field.
-pii... Make last entered field decrementing.
p = Zero fill character.
ii... = Data subtracted from field.
>pii... Make last entered field incrementing. 0 - Z.
p = Zero fill character.
ii... = Data added to field.
<pii... Make last entered field decrementing. 0 - Z.
p = Zero fill character.
ii... = Data subtracted from field.
^nn Set count by amount.
nn = 2 digits.
Skip # of labels before updating count fields and
time fields.

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4.6 Field Definition — Human Readable Fields
Field definition statements to be sent after “STX L” SYSTEM LEVEL
command. LABEL FORMATTING mode terminated by “E” or “X”
LABEL FORMATTING command.

Field Record for Label Input Mode

Human Readable Fields:
CHAR # DESCRIPTION
1 Flag for rotation.
1 = 0 deg.
2 = 90 deg.
3 = 180 deg.
4 = 270 deg.
2 Font selected.
Any valid font character.
Bar codes automatically select bar code field format.
3 Horizontal multiplier.
1 = X1, 2 = X2, 4 = X4.
4 Vertical multiplier.
1 = X1, 2 = X2, 4 = X4, 8 = X8.
5, 6, 7 Always 0 0 0. Must be 3 digits.
8, 9, 10, 11 Row address. Must be 4 digits. ( 0.01"/step)
0000-9999
12, 13, 14, 15 Column address. Must be 4 digits. ( 0.01"/step) 0000-
0447
16, . . . String data.
ASCII printable data for font selected.
Terminate with a <CR>.
^B Switch to string input commands:
Sn Select stored string from global table.
Strings stored by the “G” label formatting command
n = String location. A-P.

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4.7 Field Definition — Bar Code Fields
Field definition statements to be sent after “STX L” SYSTEM LEVEL
command. LABEL FORMATTING mode terminated by “E” or “X”
LABEL FORMATTING command.

Field Record for Label Input Mode

Bar Code Fields:
CHAR # DESCRIPTION
1 Flag for rotation.
1 = 0 deg.
2 = 90 deg.
3 = 180 deg.
4 = 270 deg.
2 Font selected.
Any valid font character.
Bar codes automatically select bar code field format.
Fonts designated by uppercase ALPHA letters print
with human readable interpretations. Lowercase
ALPHA bar code fonts print as bars only.
3 Bar code wide bar width.
.005 increments. Accepts 1-9 and A-K.
For UPC and 128 fonts, only 1,2,3,4,6, & 8 are valid
when interpretation is printed.

4 Bar code narrow bar width.

.005 increments.
Accepts 1-9 and A-K. For UPC and 128 fonts,
narrow bar should be set equal to wide bar setting.
5, 6, 7 Bar code height. Must be 3 digits. (0.01" step)
001-999
8, 9, 10, 11 Row address. Must be 4 digits. (0.01" step)
0000-9999

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12, 13, 14, 15 Column address. Must be 4 digits (0.01" step)
0000-0447
16,... String data.
ASCII printable data for font selected.
Terminate with a <CR>.
^B Switch to string input commands:
Sn Select stored string from global table.
n = String location. A-P.

4.8 Graphic Images

To enter the graphic image input routine, the Printer must be outside of
the LABEL INPUT command interpreter. The Printer must also receive
a STX character followed by an ASCII “I”, a bank designation, an
optional word length modifier, a format designation, and up to an 8-
character string to identify the stored image data. The data that follows
is the image data.

If you use any of the 8-bit input formats, you must execute a “SOH D”
command before the GRAPHIC IMAGE INPUT. This command
disables the SYSTEM LEVEL command interpreter.

Iabfnnn... INPUT GRAPHICS DATA BLOCK

a= MEMORY MODULE BANK
A (1st 1/2), B (2nd 1/2), or C (16K+)
b= (optional) A for 7-bit data, 8-bit if left out of command
f= F for 7-bit IMG load file
I for .IMG 8-bit format (image will be flipped)
i for .IMG 8-bit format (save image as received)
P for .PCX 8-bit format (image will be flipped)
p for .PCX 8-bit format (save image as received)
n= up to 8 characters for image name

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To print an image, select font type “Y”. The horizontal and vertical
magnifications work with human readable fonts. The data sent into the
field is also used as the name of the defined graphic image.

GRAPHICS INPUT TYPE I

.IMG 8-bit format. Same as 7-bit ASCII preceded by header record 00
01 00 08 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 XX XX where XX XX = high byte, low
byte count of dot lines in image.

GRAPHICS INPUT TYPE P

.PCX 8-bit format

GRAPHICS INPUT TYPE F

7-bit ASCII

80nn
80 = Generate following data
nn = # of bytes for data
0000FFnn
0000FF = Generate following data line n times
nn = # of lines to generate
FFFF
FFFF = Terminate input of graphics

To print an image, specify font “Y”. The horizontal and vertical

magnifications will work as if it were a human readable font. The data
sent into the field is used as the name of the defined graphics image.

Once images are in memory, they can be removed with the “R”
SYSTEM COMMAND. The image is named after the STX and the “R”
command will be cleared. Images are stored dynamically, meaning that
removing any images stored in the middle of a directory will shift
forward any images found in the outer area of the directory.

The following example creates and prints the image DATAMAX using
the type “F” graphics formatting method. The character “^B” denotes
the ASCII STX character. This example was created as a text file on an
IBM compatible PC with the DOS EDIT line editor program, and sent to
the Printer with the COPY command.

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^BqA(CR)
^BIAAFLOGO(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFC00000007FFC0003FFFFC001FC0001FC0003FFFFC0018000FFC001FF8000C0003FFFFE000000FFFFE0001FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFC00000000FFC0003FFFFC001FC0001FC0003FFFFC0018000FFC001FF800040001FFFFE0000007FFFC0001FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFC000000003FC0001FFFFC001FC0001FC0001FFFFC0018000FFC001FF800040001FFFFE0000003FFFC0001FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFC000000000FC0001FFFFC001FE0001FE0001FFFFC00180007FC000FF800060001FFFFE0000003FFFC0003FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFE0000000007E0001FFFFC001FE0001FE0001FFFFC00180007FC000FFC00060000FFFFE0000001FFFC0003FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFE0000000003E0000FFFFC001FE0000FE0000FFFFC00180007FC0007FC00020000FFFFE0000001FFF80003FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFE0000000001E0000FFFFC001FE0000FF0000FFFFC001C0007FC0007FC00030000FFFFE0010000FFF80003FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFE0000000000F0000FFFFC001FE0000FF0000FFFFC001C0007FC0007FC00030000FFFFE00180007FF80007FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFE0000000000700007FFFC001FF0000FF80007FFFC001C0007FC0003FC000380007FFFE00180007FF80007FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF0000000000380007FFFC001FF0000FF80007FFFC001C0003FC0003FE000380007FFFE001C0003FF80007FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF0000000000380007FFFC001FF0000FF80007FFFC001C0003FC0003FE000380007FFFE001E0003FF80007FFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF0000000000180003FFFC001FF00007FC0003FFFC001C0003FC0001FE0001C0003FFFE001E0001FF0000FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF00000000001C0003FFFC001FF00007FC0003FFFC001E0003FC0001FE0001C0003FFFE001F0000FF0000FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF00007C00000C0003FFFC001FF00007FE0003FFFC001E0003FC0000FF0001E0003FFFE001F0000FF0000FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF80007F80000E0001FFFC001FF80007FE0001FFFC001E0003FC0000FF0001E0001FFFE001F80007F0000FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF80007FC0000E00000000001FF80007FE00000000001E0001FC0000FF0001E00000000001FC0007F0000FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF80007FE0000600000000001FF80003FF00000000001E0001FC00007F0000F00000000001FC0003F0001FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF80003FF0000700000000001FF80003FF00000000001F0001FC00007F0000F00000000001FE0001E0001FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFF80003FF0000700000000001FF80003FF00000000001F0001FC00007F8000F00000000001FE0001E0001FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFC0001FFC0003C0000000001FFE0001FFE0000000001F8000FC00000FC0007E0000000001FFE00000003FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFE0001FFC0001E0000000001FFE0001FFE0000000001F8000FC00000FC0007E0000000001FFF00000003FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFE0001FFC0001E0000000001FFE0001FFE0000000001F8000FC00000FC0007F0000000001FFF00000007FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFE0000FFC0001F0000000001FFE0000FFF0000000001F8000FC000007C0003F0000000001FFF80000007FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFE0000FFC0001F0000000001FFE0000FFF0000000001FC0007C000007E0003F0000000001FFF80000007FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFE0000FFE0001F0001FFC001FFE0000FFF8001FFC001FC0007C000003E0003F8000FFE001FFFC0000007FFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFE0000FFE0000F8001FFC001FFF0000FFF8000FFC001FC0007C000003E0003F8000FFE001FFFE000000FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF0000FFE0000F8000FFC001FFF0000FFF8000FFC001FC0007C000003E0003F8000FFE001FFFE000000FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF0000FFE0000F8000FFC001FFF00007FFC000FFC001FC0007C000001F0001FC000FFE001FFFF000000FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF00007FE0000FC000FFC001FFF00007FFC0007FC001FE0007C002001F0001FC0007FE001FFFF000000FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF00007FF0000FC0007FC001FFF00007FFE0007FC001FE0003C002001F0001FE0007FE001FFFF800000FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF00007FF0000FE0007FC001FFF80007FFE0007FC001FE0003C003000F0001FE0007FE001FFFFC00001FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF80007FF00007E0007FC001FFF80007FFE0003FC001FE0003C003000F0001FE0003FE001FFFFC00001FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF80007FF00007E0003FC001FFF80003FFF0003FC001FE0003C00300078001FF0003FE001FFFFE00001FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF80003FF00007F0003FC001FFF80003FFF0003FC001FE0003C00380078000FF0003FE001FFFFE00001FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF80003FF80007F0003FC001FFF80003FFF0001FC001FF0003C00380078000FF8001FE001FFFFE00001FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFF80003FF80007F0001FC001FFF80003FFF8001FC001FF0001C003C0038000FF8001FE001FFFFE00001FFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFC0000000007FFC000001F80000000000FC000001FFF0000003FFE0000007FFC000001FFFC0003F80007FFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFE000000000FFFC000001F80000000000FE000001FFF8000003FFE0000007FFE000001FFFC0003FC0003FFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFF000000000FFFE000001F80000000000FE000001FFF8000003FFF0000007FFE000001FFFC0003FC0003FFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFC00000000FFFE000001FC0000000000FE000001FFF8000003FFF0000007FFE000001FFFC0003FE0001FFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFE00000000FFFE000001FC00000000007F000001FFF8000003FFF0000007FFF000001FFFC0003FE0001FFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFF00000001FFFF000001FC00000000007F000001FFF8000003FFF8000007FFF000001FFF80003FF0000FFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFC0000001FFFF000001FC00000000007F000001FFF8000003FFF8000003FFF800001FFF80007FF0000FFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFE0000003FFFF800001FC00000000007F800001FFFC000003FFF8000003FFF800001FFF80007FF80007FF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFF0000007FFFF800001FC00000000007F800001FFFC000003FFFC000003FFF800001FFF80007FF80007FF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFF800000FFFFF800001FE00000000003FC00001FFFC000003FFFC000003FFFC00001FFF00007FFC0003FF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFE00001FFFFFC00001FE00000000003FC00001FFFC000003FFFE000003FFFC00001FFF00007FFC0003FF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFF00007FFFFFC00001FE00000000003FC00001FFFC000003FFFE000003FFFE00001FFF00007FFE0001FF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFF8003FFFFFFC00001FE00000000003FE00001FFFC000003FFFF000003FFFE00001FFF00007FFE0001FF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
8030FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF0000(CR)
FFFF(CR)
^BL(CR)
1Y1100000000000LOGO(CR)
E(CR)

The graphic printed by this command sequence is:

FIGURE 4-1

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Using the Printer Page - 57
4.9 Printing Lines and Boxes
Lines and boxes can be created by requesting font “X” from within the
LABEL COMMAND interpreter. The horizontal and vertical multipliers
work with the line and box routines in the same manner as human
readable fonts. The format of the data area is as follows:

Lhhhvvv
Where L = L to specify line drawing (solid box)
hhh = horizontal width of line (solid box)
vvv = vertical height of line (solid box)
or,
Bhhhvvvbbbsss
Where B = B to specify box drawing
hhh = horizontal width of box
vvv = vertical height of box
bbb = thickness of bottom and top box edges
sss = thickness of sides of box

4.10 Defining and Printing a Label

The following is the procedure for formatting labels:

1. The ASCII STX (DEC 02, HEX 02) followed by an ASCII “L” (DEC
76, HEX 4C) must be sent to the Printer. This sets the Printer up to
accept LABEL FORMATTING COMMANDS. At the entrance into
the LABEL FORMATTING mode, the Printer does several things.
It clears the field register area and loads the FIELD GENERATION
interpreter. The interpreter will scan the data as it is received,
placing completed fields into registers. The paper is in the “home
position” at the time the STX L command is received and set.
References made by the statements that follow will consider the
current paper position as 0,0.

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2. The Printer begins to look for strings terminated by ASCII CRs
(DEC 13, HEX 0D). The interpreter takes the data in the string and
places the appropriate pieces into the appropriate registers.
Whenever the Printer encounters an ASCII control code that has a
value of less than 32, the data is not accepted. The beginning of that
field is considered invalid and is discarded.

The rules that the interpreter uses for placing data into registers are
detailed in the previous tables. The tables show that the first 15
bytes received control the rotation, font, magnification, bar height,
and print location of the data to be printed. The remaining
characters in the string are the actual data.

3. The first character of a field that is received is shown in the table to

be an ASCII character that selects the rotation. The possible choices
for rotation are 1, 2, 3, and 4. If the Printer receives any other
character as the first character in a command string, it will not
consider this data to specify a field. It will check the string as a
possible command for other action. If the string cannot be matched
to a command, it will be discarded by the Printer.

The diagram on the next page details the direction of data that each
rotation will give with respect to the label feed direction and the
label opening in the front of the Printer.

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 THE PRINTER IS HERE

123456

ROTATION 4
ROTATION 1
ROTATION 3

ROTATION 2

HOME POSITION

FIGURE 4-2

4. After the rotation field, the next character received is the font type.
It must be one of the characters 0 through 8 to select a human
readable font or A through L to select a bar code font. Uppercase
bar code fonts will print with human readable interpretation,
lowercase bar code fonts do not include the interpretation. The
selection of the font is made from the samples available in
APPENDIX D.

5. The following digit, character number 3, is the horizontal multiplier

for human readable fonts. The magnification factor represents the
number of times the dot tables for the font selected are multiplied in
the horizontal direction. For human readable fonts, the valid
choices for magnification are 1, 2, 4, and 8 times the normal dot
pattern.

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 If the font selected is a bar code, this character specifies the wide
bar width. The range of allowable values for bar code fonts is 1 to
9 and A through K. This range will give a wide bar width of 0.005"
to 0.300" when added to the Printer’s ability to vary the dot size.

For UPC and 128 fonts, the valid multipliers are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8
when selecting the uppercase version of these fonts. If other
multipliers are selected, the Printer rounds down to one of these
values.

6. The next digit, character number 4, is the vertical multiplier for

human readable fonts. The magnification factor represents the
number of times the dot table for the selected font is multiplied in
the vertical direction. For human readable fonts, the valid choices
for magnification are 1, 2, 4, and 8 times the normal dot pattern.

If the font selected is a bar code, this character specifies the narrow
bar width. The range of allowable values for bar code fonts is 1 to
9 and A through L. This range will give a narrow bar width of
0.005" to 0.300" when added to the Printer’s ability to vary the dot
size.

For UPC and 128 fonts, this number should be the same as the
horizontal multiplier because these bar codes are element-based and
not ratio-based bar codes.

7. The next three characters, bytes 5, 6, and 7 for all human readable
fonts will be discarded, but must be sent to the Printer as zeros.
These characters only affect the printing of bar codes. When a bar
code font has been selected, the height of the bar code is controlled
in 0.010" increments. The minimum value is “001”, the maximum
value is “999”. This gives a variable bar height of 0.01" to 9.99".
(Note: Bar heights below 0.08" may vary depending on the starting
row position. To suppress this variance, the row position should be
given as a value evenly divisible by eight.)

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Using the Printer Page - 61
8. The next four digits, bytes 8 through 11, are the vertical offset. This
offset determines the placement, from the home position, of the data
that is specified at the end of the string received. The home position
is the lower left hand corner of the next print media currently held
under the printhead. Field offset data is always expressed in
hundredths of an inch on the Printer's graphic interfaces unless the
toggle to metric measure has been made. This value can be thought
of as “how far up” from the bottom of the label the data is to be
printed.

9. The next four digits in the string, bytes 12 through 15, are used as
the horizontal offset, in inches, for the data string. This value can
be thought of as “how far over” to the right on the label the data is
to be printed.

10. The remaining data in the string up to the CR or LF is the data to be

printed. This data can be from 1 to 255 characters. Characters that
are placed in this field may or may not actually be able to print on
the label. The Printer will print all of the characters that fall within
the possible range of the printhead. For example: you direct the
Printer to print “HELLO WORLD” in rotation 1, font 6, and to
magnify 2X in the horizontal and the vertical direction. The
characters “HELLO W” and part of the “O” will appear at the very
bottom of the label. The “RLD” will not show up on the label since
it is outside the physical limits of the Printer.

11. The Printer can accept up to 3000 characters of field data per label,
in up to 99 fields. Each field follows the same format as described
in the preceding instructions. Fields and LABEL FORMATTING
commands are sent to the Printer until the desired label format is
formatted.

If any received string does not meet the requirements to become a

field, the Printer checks to see if the string is an internal command
of the LABEL FORMATTING interpreter. If the command does not
match, the field is discarded.

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12. After the last field is sent, the host device terminates the formatting
session by sending an ASCII “E” (DEC 69, HEX 45) as a single
character string terminated by an ASCII CR (DEC 13, HEX 0D).
The label Printer will print the label from the field registers created
and return to the SYSTEM command processor.

The following is an example of the process explained in Section 4.10.

Power up the Printer, press FORM FEED and then the host device sends
out the following ASCII characters:

STX L CR
1 3 2 1 000 0100 0050 TEST123 CR
1 a 3 1 090 0000 0110 123456 CR
E

(Spaces in example are shown only for clarity.)

A label will print that looks like the sample below.

FIGURE 4-3

The STX L is a SYSTEM command that sends the Printer into the
LABEL FORMATTING interpreter.

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The first string “132100001000050TEST 123” is defined as the register
number “01” in the Printer. On the label, it appears as the human
readable message “TEST 123” located above the bar code. You can see
from the sample label that the data printed in the standard left-to-right
rotation “1”, in font “3”, at a 2X width and 1X height magnification.
The lower left-hand corner of the field was located approximately 1" up
from the bottom “0100”, and over from the edge .5" “0050”. This is the
position specified by the eight digits that precede the data string “TEST
123”.

The bar code field is defined by the string “1a3109000000110123456”.

This field is printed in the standard rotation, font a (Code 3 of 9 without
human readable interpretation), with a wide-to-narrow bar ratio of 3:1.
The bar code is positioned to print on the label 0" from the bottom and
over from the edge 1.10". The data in the bar code was “123456”.

The last character sent is the ASCII “E” character. It requests the Printer
to begin plotting the characters and bar codes as specified in the memory
stored registers.

4.11 Register Loading

The Printer prints labels in one of two modes. The standard mode is
described in the previous section. It requires that the complete format
be sent to the Printer each time a label is to be created. However, there
is a more efficient way of creating labels on the Printer. This method
involves programming for a fixed label format. At the end of the format
the host device sends an ASCII X (DEC 88, HEX 58) instead of the E
character. This stores the register data in memory and returns the
Printer to the SYSTEM command processor. However, a label is not
produced. From this point, the SYSTEM command processor allows
single or multiple labels to be printed from the stored field registers.

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The ASCII character STX G is sent to instruct the Printer to print a label
from its internal register data. After the label has finished printing, the
host device may send additional STX G characters to print additional
copies of the same label.

The host device may also reload a particular register with new data and
send another STX G command. This will generate a new label from the
previously created font and positioning parameters.

When data is entered into the Printer’s label format memory, each
properly formatted string creates a register. The registers are numbered
01, 02, 03, etc. to 99. To fill the register responsible for printing the bar
code in the following example, the host device uses the “STX U##
DATA...” command to fill a new string into an existing field.

STX U 02 112233 CR

The Printer recognizes “STX U” as the FILL REGISTER COMMAND.

The “02” instructs the Printer to fill register 02 with the following data:
“112233”. The CR terminates the fill register command. Then the host
can send a STX G command. The Printer begins printing a label from
this stored data in the registers of graphics memory.

This process can be repeated as many times as necessary to print all of

the labels following a particular format. The host device must resend a
label format if the Printer is sent a RESET command, or if the Printer is
powered down.

NOTE: The data string length of any register is set by the length
of the string when it is created. If you attempt to load a
register with a new string that is longer than the original
string, the Printer will truncate the field to match the
original size. If you load a register with a string shorter
than the original, the new characters replace the old
characters in position, leaving behind the characters
from the previous field.

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4.12 Label Formatting Commands
There are several commands listed in the label formatting tables in
Section 4.5 that have not been covered in the examples. This section
examines these commands. The following commands are sent to the
Printer after the STX L command, which causes the Printer to switch
from the SYSTEM level command processor to the LABEL
FORMATTING command processor. Any commands received while in
the LABEL FORMATTING command processor not starting with a 1, 2,
3, or 4 (specifying a field rotation) are interpreted as printing process
commands.

1. “R####” COMMAND. SETTING THE ROW OFFSET VALUE.

“SETTING THE ROW OFFSET VALUE” is a FORMATTING

command that is used to adjust the printing of data on a label. This
feature is useful when you need to print a single format on several
different types of preprinted labels. If the preprinted data does not
appear in the same place every time, the data you image onto the
label may overlap the preprinted data. The “R####” command
instructs the Printer to print the following label formats further up
on the label than the format actually specifies. The numbers in the
command are digits 0 to 9, which can specify a number from 0000
to 9999. This value is the number of 1/100th of an inch of label to
feed before the printing of the label format data begins.

2. “H##” COMMAND. CHANGING THE BURN TIME.

The “H##” formatting command changes the “dot on time” for the
individual dot rows on the Printer. The Printer powers up with a
default value of 10. Varying this number changes the amount of
time the dots are “turned on.” This changes the amount of heat that
is transferred from the head to the media, causing lighter and darker
images to be burned. The range of valid settings are from 01 to 20.
Each step increases or reduces the burn time by 100 µS.

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 The control on the front of the Printer labeled “DARKER” —>” is
for matching replacement printheads to the Printer during the head
replacement procedure. It has very little control over the actual
burn temperature used for imaging.

This command is beneficial when the Printer is used with several

different media types. When a label format is sent to the Printer and
the media requires more or less heat than the amount set by the
default temperature, the host device may send a command before or
after the format to correct for the media.

3. “C####” COMMAND. SETTING THE COLUMN OFFSET

VALUE.

The Printer has a FORMATTING command function that is used to

adjust the printing of data on a label horizontally. This feature is
useful when you need to print a single format on several different
types of labels that have preprinted information. If the preprinted
data does not show up in the same place every time, the data you
image on the label may overlap the preprinted data. The “C####”
command instructs the Printer to print the following label formats
over #### increments to the right of where the format actually
specifies. The numbers in the command are digits 0 to 9 which can
specify a number from 0000 to 0400.

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4. “Pa” COMMAND. SETTING THE PRINT SPEED.

The print speed of the Printer can be adjusted by the host device to
meet specific requirements of particular applications. The command
“Pa” will set the print speed according to the single digit represented
by the “a” in the command. The print speeds are listed below:

A 1.0" per second

B 1.5" per second
C 2.0" per second
D 2.5" per second
E 3.0" per second
F 3.5" per second
G 4.0" per second

5. “Sa” COMMAND. SETTING THE SLEW RATE.

The slew rate, which is the rate at which the label is advanced when
no printing is taking place, can be set by the “Sa” command where
the “a” is replaced by an alpha character A through G to get slew
rates of:

A 1.0" per second

B 1.5" per second
C 2.0" per second
D 2.5" per second
E 3.0" per second
F 3.5" per second
G 4.0" per second

6. “W” COMMAND. SETTING THE FORMATTING MODE.

The formatting mode of the Printer is to begin printing immediately

once the command to generate is executed. Some printers create an
entire video image of the label in memory before printing begins.
Sending the “W” command will enable the Printer to fill its format
buffer before printing.

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7. “+pii...” COMMAND. THE INCREMENT FUNCTION.

The Printer formatter is capable of incrementing data fields between

each print. To cause a field to increment, send the field in the
normal manner to the Printer. After the ASCII CR that terminates
the field, send the string “+pii...” where the “p” is a fill character for
the far left-hand characters of the field and the “ii” is the string to
increment by. The data in the field will increment by the value after
the “+” sign each time a label is printed.

The “+” character may be replaced by a “>” character to make the

field increment alphanumerically instead of just numerically.

To generate a single field label format that prints the first label with
a value of 10000 and increments by 1 for three labels, refer to the
commands below:

STX L CR
1 3 2 2 000 0000 0000 10000 CR
+01 CR
Q0003 CR
E CR

8. “-pii_” COMMAND. THE DECREMENT FUNCTION.

The Printer is capable of decrementing data fields between each

print. To cause a field to decrement, send the field in the normal
manner to the Printer. After the ASCII CR that terminates the field,
send the string “-pii_” where “p” is the fill character used for
characters farthest on the left. The “ii” is the string to decrement the
field by.

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Using the Printer Page - 69
 The “-” character may be replaced by a “<” character to make the
field decrement alphanumerically instead of just numerically.

To generate a single field label format that prints the first label with
a value of 10000 and decrements by 1 for three labels, refer to the
following commands:

STX L CR
1 3 2 2 000 0000 0000 10000 CR
-01 CR
Q0003 CR
E CR

9. “^##” COMMAND. INCREMENT AND DECREMENT ON

COUNT.

An application that requires incrementing or decrementing fields

will occasionally require that a duplicate label be printed with the
same values before the update of field data occurs. The Printer
handles this feature with the “^##” command. The “##” after the
“^” is a two digit value. It specifies how many labels are to be
generated before the modification of the incrementing or
decrementing field is to occur. This command can only be sent
once per label format.

The same commands from the previous example, with two labels
printed per decrement instead of one, would look like this:

STX L CR
1 3 2 2 000 0000 0000 100000 CR
-01 CR
^02 CR
Q0006 CR
E CR

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10. PLACE DATA IN GLOBAL REGISTER

The Printer also contains a utility for printing duplicate data fields
(for example, several different places on a label). After a field has
been created, the “G” command may be sent as the next string to the
Printer. The data in the field is placed into a global register. Global
registers are named in the order created, starting with A and
assigned consecutively through register P.

11. TAKE DATA FROM GLOBAL REGISTER AND PLACE IT INTO

DATA FIELD

Once a global register has been defined, it can be used as the data in
other fields. Simply send “STX S?” where “?” is the register A to P
in the command string as data. The Printer will place the data from
the global register into the field.

A set of commands to use this feature would be:

STX L CR
1 2 1 1 000 0000 0000 PRINTER CR
G CR
1 A 6 2 100 0100 0000 STX SA CR
E CR

The “G CR” command after the first field will place the string
“PRINTER” into the next available global register, which in this case
will be A. The “STX SA” in the second field will take the data out
of global register A and place it in field number 2.

4.13 System and Formatting Commands

Other than the “F”, “L”, and “G” commands that have been used in the
examples, other SYSTEM commands listed in the tables in the beginning
of the chapter have not been discussed. This section examines these
very powerful commands and their typical uses in label production.

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1. “SOH A” COMMAND. CHECKING THE PRINTER STATUS.

The Printer can be polled as to the current Printer status. The

SYSTEM command to cause the Printer to send this data is “SOH
A”.

The Printer will respond as soon as it is able to with an 8-character

response followed by an ASCII CR (DEC 13, HEX 0D). Each
character will be a “Y” or “N” for the status of the condition. The
string will be of the following format:

1 Command interpreter busy

2 Paper out
3 Ribbon out (only when enabled)
4 Printing batch
5 Busy printing
6 Printer paused
7 Label presented (only when enabled)
8 Always N

2. “SOH #” COMMAND. SERIAL PRINTER RESET.

The host device may cause the Printer to reset itself. In effect, the
Printer powers down and back up again. This command is the
“SOH #” command. When the Printer receives this command, all
of the Printer’s programmable parameters are set back to default
values.

3. “STX T” COMMAND. TEST MODE.

Sending the “STX T” command to the Printer will cause it to print

the test pattern that is generated on a POWER UP SELF TEST.

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4. “STX Vn” COMMAND. SETTING THE PSEUDO SWITCHES.

Switch SW1, mounted on the back of the Printer, is read on power-

up or on soft reset. The positions of switches 5 through 8 can be
modified through this command. Send “STX Vn” where “n” is a
hex value of 0 to F to define the settings.

* 5 Mode switch, RS-232/batch

6 Label present sensor
7 Ignore ribbon out
8 Undefined

*This setting is of no value.

5. “M####” COMMAND. SETTING THE MAXIMUM LABEL SIZE.

The Printer was designed to accept labels with a maximum length of

99.99". The maximum label size can be reduced by sending the
Printer a “M####” command where the numbers 0 to 9 represent the
maximum length of the label. “####” is expressed to the nearest
1/100th of an inch; decimal place removed.
This command is a nice feature while designing labels. It prevents
the Printer from feeding out tremendously long strips of media if an
error is made by the host device. The Printer defaults to a value of
“1200”.

It is recommended that the label-out value be set to 2.5 times the

actual label length that is being used. This will allow for a label to
be missing on a roll without stopping the printing.

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6. “O####” COMMAND. CHANGING THE DEFAULT
LABEL OFFSET.

The “O####” command changes the label offset. The Printer will
accept the “####” string to be in the range of 0000 to 0999. The
Printer normally stops the label media at 0.20" past the printhead.
This means that the last label printed is still attached to the label
backing and can be removed by an operator.

If you are printing in batch mode and rewinding the labels, you may
want to have the label offset changed so that printing can begin on
the very bottom of a label.

This command is different from the “C####” command, which

changes the location of the print on the label. The “O####”
command actually changes the zero reference point of the label.

4.14 Controlling Print Quality

The Printer provides maximum flexibility by offering a direct thermal

and thermal transfer print capability. To provide this diverse printing
option, the Printer has a flexible set of printing controls.

The amount of heat applied per dot row and the rate at which the paper
moves under the head have the most effect on the images that are
printed. The Printer allows you to control these factors but also limits
them so you cannot ask the Printer to print an image that could be
damaging. For example, low cost direct thermal stocks have very high
reaction temperatures. It takes a lot of heat to make clear images on this
type of paper. The Printer allows two methods of compensation. The
burn time can be set to a greater value by using the “H” LABEL
FORMATTING command. This would cause more heat to be
transferred into the media, which would generate a darker image. The
second method would be to reduce the print speed with the “P” LABEL
FORMATTING command. This would allow the paper to remain under
the head for a longer amount of time. This would also allow more heat
to transfer into the media.
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You will find that printing fine images on the less expensive direct
thermal and thermal transfer media at the higher speeds can be tricky.
At one heat setting the image will fade and at the next higher heat setting
the image can bleed. This is because the reaction temperature of the
media is so high that at higher rates of speed, it cannot react quick
enough.

To print fine images at higher speed, media with lower reaction or

release temperatures are required. On the slower end of the print rate
settings, crisper images are possible because the media is not being
stretched beyond its limits.

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5
Using the Printer's Internal
Labeling Software

The program is very easy to learn and operate. Just two screens are
used to create or modify and then print labels. A system maintenance
screen is included for printing test labels, copying and formatting
memory modules, and several other functions. 32K RAM memory
modules store up to 50 label formats each. Modules can be divided in a
16K/16K split between label formats and graphic images (pictures). As
many memory modules as are necessary can be purchased, which
effectively allows unlimited memory capacity.

5.1 P reparing the Printer for Use With a

LINK CRT
Several steps are necessary before you can begin to format and print
labels on the Printer. These steps are explained in the next two sections.

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5.1.1 Connect Cables
Verify that the LINK CRT and the Printer main power switches are
OFF. Connect the LINK CRT terminal to the Printer with the supplied
cable, or construct an MXM-type cable as described in APPENDIX C.
Plug in the supplied power cords for the Printer and the LINK CRT
terminal.

NOTE: The Printer does not connect to the Link Parallel Port.

5.1.2 LINK CRT Settings

The LINK CRT is shipped ready for use with the Printer. (NOTE: The
settings should be changed only when necessary.) If the terminal’s
settings have been changed since shipment from the factory, follow the
terminal’s set-up procedure to re-establish all default values. For
reference, the following values are necessary. The Printer will set all
remaining parameters. However, these settings are not saved in CRT’s
RAM. To save them, follow the CRT’s “save changes” routine after
normal operation is established.

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Handshake: NONE
Mode: FDX
Data Bits: 8
Stop Bits: 1
Parity: NONE
Baud Rate: 9600
Keys: US
Blk End: US/CR
Auto NL: ON
CR: CR
Compatible: LINK MC 2
Function keys equivalent to:

F1: CNTL W
F2: CNTL X
F3: CNTL Y
F4: CNTL Z

5.1.3 Select Stand-Alone Labeling Software Mode

The Printer is typically shipped in the RS-232 mode for use with PCs.
To use the CRT instead, a DIP switch setting needs to be changed.
Before changing any switch settings, turn the Printer’s main power
switch to the OFF position. DIP switch changes are read only upon
power up.

To enable the internal stand-alone labeling software, set DIP switch

SW1-5, located on the back panel of the Printer, to the ON (toward
numbers) position.

Also verify that the proper baud rate is set. Select 9600 baud by turning
SW1-1, 2, and 3 to the OFF (away from numbers) positions.

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5.1.4 Verify Setup, Power Up, and Load Media
Check that all connections are made and that you have correctly
configured DIP switch SW-1. Turn on the CRT first and then the
Printer's power switch. Press the F1 key on the CRT several times. The
CREATE/MODIFY LABEL and PRINT LABEL screens should toggle
back and forth. If they don’t, something is wrong. Check the CRT
settings again, check the interface cable, check that you have power to
both the Printer and CRT, and then try again. Contact your Value
Added Reseller (VAR) or the manufacture if you cannot get the screens
to appear.

You should load the Printer with media at this time.

5.1.5 Install and Configure a Memory Module

Memory modules are used to store label formats, graphics, or a

combination of both. At least one memory module is required to
operate the internal labeling software program. Properly configured, up
to 50 typical label formats can be stored in each module.

To install a module and configure it for use, follow these steps:

1. Use a small screwdriver or a similar tool to turn the module’s Write

Protect Switch to the OFF position. Label formats cannot be sent to
the module if the switch is in the ON position. Later, to prevent
accidental changes or modifications to formats, you will probably
want to turn the Write Protect Switch back to the ON position.

2. Open the front door of the Printer.

3. Place the module in the Memory Module Bay to the left bottom of
the front of the Printer. The label side should be facing up and the
printing upside down. Press the module firmly into place and shut
the front door of the Printer.

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4. Press and hold the ALT key and press the “S” key at the same time.
This screen will appear:

SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

1) FORMAT MODULE
2) COPY MODULE
3) METRIC? NO
4) PRINT TEST LABEL
5) SYSTEM TEST LABEL
6) TEST MODULE
7) RESET PRINTER
8) EXIT TO RS232 SYSTEM

ENTER NUMBER:

5. Press the “1” key to select FORMAT MODULE. This screen will
appear:

FORMAT MODULE

USAGE TYPE G/L:

DIRECTORY A/B/C:
MODULE NAME:

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6. Now you need to decide how to partition the module’s memory.
The memory module can be configured into two single 16K banks
or joined together into one continuous bank. The two banks are
referred to as bank A and bank B. For most applications involving
the internal batch program, you should format the module so that
bank A and B are both formatted to accept label formats.
If you are using the graphics, the host computer should format the
module as bank A-labels, bank B-graphics and load the graphics
into bank B. The only time you need to format a memory module
with directory C is if you have a graphic image bigger than 16K
bytes. You cannot use modules formatted for bank C graphics with
the internal batch program.

In this example we will format the module for storing label formats.
Enter “L” for label formats at the USAGE TYPE prompt and press
the RETURN key. The cursor moves to the DIRECTORY position.
Enter “A” to select bank A to be formatted as type “L”, label
formats. The cursor moves to the MODULE NAME position. Enter
up to a 16-character name for this module, then press the RETURN
key. Repeat the procedure selecting “B” instead of “A”. Both banks
of the module will then be ready to accept label format data.

The screen returns to the SYSTEM MAINTENANCE menu after the

formatting procedure. Press the ESC key to return to the PRINT
LABEL or CREATE/ MODIFY LABEL screen. You may want to
verify that the module has been configured correctly by pressing the
F2 key from either screen. F2 calls up a directory listing of that
module. You will see that it lists the name, TYPE, and MEMORY
AVAILABLE for each bank of memory you’ve partitioned.

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5.2 Function Keys
Four function keys are used extensively in the label formatting process.
They are labeled F1, F2, F3, and F4. These keys have the following
functions:

F1 or ESC (SWITCH)
Toggles between the PRINT and CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screens.
F1 can only be used in the LABEL NAME: position of the
CREATE/MODIFY or PRINT screens.

F2 (LIST)
Displays a library listing of every label format and/or graphic image
loaded in the current memory module. Used only when the prompt is in
the LABEL NAME: position of the CREATE/MODIFY or PRINT
screens.

F3 (COPY)
Used in the CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screen only. Enter a new label
name, then press the F3 key. The message “COPY FROM:” will appear.
Enter the name of an existing label already in memory, then press the
ENTER key. A new label is then created with the same data as the
source label, which allows immediate editing of the new label format.

The F3 COPY feature will also copy the current field to the next field
when the cursor is at the farthest left position of the CREATE/MODIFY
LABEL screen.

F4 (KILL)
Used in the CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screen only. Enter an existing
label name, followed by the F4 key. The message “REMOVE LABEL?
(Y/N)” will appear. Answer yes or no with the “Y” or “N” key. If “Y”,
the label is permanently removed from the memory module (if the
WRITE PROTECT SWITCH is OFF).

When creating or modifying a label format, the F4 KILL feature also

deletes a single format line at a time. Move the cursor to the farthest left
position of the screen, then press F4. The current line will be deleted.

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5.2.1 ALT Keys
Several very important and powerful Printer settings are called up
and/or controlled by the ALT key. To use the ALT functions, press and
hold the ALT key as you press another key. The ALT functions are:

ALT-P
While in the far left position (ROT) of the CREATE/MODIFY LABEL
screen or the SAMPLE? position of the PRINT LABEL screen, press
ALT-P to bring up the PRINT PARAMETERS window. It looks like
this:

PRINTER ADJUSTMENTS

HEAT FACTOR: 10
PRINT SPEED: E
SLEW SPEED: G
DOT PATTERN(5 mil): 2x2
FORMAT W/Z: Z
ROW OFFSET: 00.00
COLUMN OFFSET: 00.00
COUNT BY: 01
MAX LABEL WIDTH: 04.47
MAX LABEL LENGTH: 12.00
CONTINUOUS FORMS: NO

Print parameters include row and column offsets, label edge offset, pixel
(dot) size, print speed, slew (feed) rate, heat setting, and the type of print
mode desired (“WAIT” OR “ZIP”).

Use the arrow keys to move from one position to the next. Key in any
values that need to be changed. Press the ESC key to exit the window.

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Valid settings, defaults, and a description of each print parameter are
listed below:

HEAT FACTOR: 0 to 20. Default is 10.

PRINT RATE: A to G. A = 1 inch/sec.
G = 4 inches/sec.
Default is E (3.0 inches/sec.).
SLEW RATE: A to G. A = 1 inch/sec.
G = 4 inches/sec.
Default is G (4 inches/sec.).
DOT PATTERN: 1 or 2 wide.
Default is 2 (10 mil dot).
1, 2, or 3 high.
Default is 2 (10 mil dot).
FORMAT W/Z: W = “WAIT” - format first in bit
map memory.
Z = “ZIP” - format while printing.
FORM EDGE OFFSET: 0.00" to 9.99". Default is 2.50" .
ROW OFFSET: 0.00" to 99.99". Default is 0.00".
Moves entire format up or down.
COLUMN OFFSET: 0.00" to 4.50". Default is 0.00".
Moves entire format side to side.
UPDATE COUNT ON: 0 to 99. Default is 1.
Number of labels printed before
updating consecutive number.
MAX LABEL WIDTH: 0.00" to 99.99". Default is 4.47".
Maximum width and length
settings are used by Printer to
calculate maximum number of
characters that will fit in a
particular field.
MAX LABEL LENGTH: 0.00" to 99.99". Default is 12.00".

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If ALT-P parameters are changed while in the CREATE/MODIFY
LABEL screen, the changes are saved with the label format. If they are
changed in the PRINT LABEL screen, they are not saved and will affect
only the current print job. Changing parameters in the PRINT LABEL
screen is useful when testing a new label to determine optimum print
parameter settings for that particular format.

ALT-S
Calls up the SYSTEM MAINTENANCE screen.

ALT-I
This function is used in the CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screen to insert
a new field description line between existing field description lines on
the screen. It is especially useful when the REPEAT function is used
and other lines on the screen are already below the field to be repeated.

ALT-F
Feeds one label at a time. It operates the same as the front panel FEED
switch. This function is useful when loading new media to register the
photoelectric sensor.

ALT-X
May be pressed while at the ROT field of the CREATE screen. It will
cause the PRINT screen to come up with a preset quantity of 1 for the
purposes of printing a test label.

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5.3 Other Important Keys
Several other keys are used in the editing and printing steps. These
keys have the following functions:

RETURN
Enters an answer for the prompt and moves to the next position if the
answer is acceptable.

ARROW KEYS
Used to move left and right and up and down in the CREATE/MODIFY
and PRINT screens. Up and down arrows in the CREATE screen are
restricted to the ROT position.

ESC
Ends the formatting for that particular label, returns the cursor to the top
of the screen, and allows the F1 key to be used to switch screens. The
ESC key is also used to exit ALT-S and ALT-P screens.

DEL or DELETE
Erases one character.

HOME
Deletes the current field and moves the cursor to the beginning of that
field.

5.4 Create/Modify Label Screen

This section describes how to create a new label. Before starting, a good
tool to have on hand is a ruler marked in tenths of an inch. All label
format print positions are specified in tenths and hundredths of an inch.
The procedure for creating a new label is as follows:

1. Power up the CRT terminal with the switch on the front of the unit,
then turn the Printer on with the POWER switch (located on the rear
of the Printer). The CRT screen will look like this:

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 PRINT LABEL

LABEL NAME:
QUANTITY:0

Press the F1 key, and the screen will look like this:

CREATE/MODIFY LABEL
DIRECTORY: MEMORY LEFT:99%
LABEL NAME:-----------------------

ROT FNT XW XH BH ROW COL TYPE DATA/PROMPT

--- --- -- -- -- --- --- ---- -----------

2. The software has only two operating screens: CREATE/MODIFY

LABEL and PRINT LABEL. Both have already appeared on your
CRT!

All data is entered in fields. A field is some individual group of

information—a product name, an address, a bar code, a consecutive
number, and so on—that is specified on individual lines on the CRT
screen. Because fields are independent of each other, it is possible
and sometimes quite desirable to place two or more fields on the
same horizontal or vertical measurement. Be careful, however, to
not print one field over another.

You will notice in the upper left-hand corner of the screen that the
current FIELD NUMBER is displayed. The program can handle up
to 80 fields per format. Use the RETURN key or the arrow keys to
move around within the 80 fields, one field at a time.

To CREATE a label, press the F1 key to return to the

CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screen. Operation begins in the LABEL
NAME position.

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3. Enter up to a 16-character alphanumeric name for this label,
followed by the RETURN key. The message “NEW LABEL
FORMAT?” appears. Answer “Y” for yes or “N” for no. If yes, the
operation moves to the ROT position. If the cursor won’t proceed
past the “NEW LABEL FORMAT” position, the memory module’s
“write protect” switch is ON. Turn it OFF to continue.

4. The Printer can print fonts, bar codes, and graphics at 0, 90, 180, or
270 degrees rotation. Valid responses to the ROT prompt are:
1 = 0 degrees
2 = 90 degrees
3 = 180 degrees
4 = 270 degrees

5. In the FNT position, enter the type of font you want to print. This
can be an alphanumeric font or a bar code. Enter one of the
following:
a. An alphanumeric font type, followed by the RETURN key.
Choices are: 0 through 8. See APPENDIX D for examples of
each available font type and for the actual printed size of the
various fonts using different multiplications.
b. A bar code, followed by the RETURN key. Choices are
uppercase A through L for bar codes that include the human
readable interpretation line, or lowercase a through l for bar
codes without human readable lines. Again, see APPENDIX D
for examples of each available bar code.
c. The “Y” and “X” special font choices are not actually fonts. The
“Y” font selects a graphic image that has already been loaded
into the memory module. If this font is selected, you will enter
the name of the graphic image in the DATA/PROMPT field.

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 The “X” font selects box and line drawing. Later, in the
DATA/PROMPT field, you will enter the following format for lines
or boxes:

LINES: Lhhhvvv
Where:
L = “L” specifies line drawing
hhh = horizontal width of line
vvv = vertical height of line

NOTE: Reverse printing is accomplished by printing a very high

(or wide) solid line. Any text placed at the same
coordinates (inside the line) is reversed with white
letters on a black background.

BOXES: Bhhhvvvbbbsss
Where:
B = “B” specifies box drawing
hhh = horizontal width of box
vvv = vertical height of box
bbb = thickness of bottom and top box edges
sss = thickness of sides of box

If any letter or number is entered in the FNT position other than

those specified above, the following error message will appear:

INVALID FONT TYPE

You will have to re-enter the data. After entering the desired font
and pressing the RETURN key, the prompt moves to the XW
position.

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6. The XW and XH positions are used to magnify widths and heights
of fonts and to change the X/Y ratio of bar codes.
a. If a font, valid responses are 1, 2, 4, and 8. Default is 1 for
fonts.
b. If a bar code, valid responses are 1 through 9 and A through K.
The default is 3 for ratio-based bar codes and 1 for all other bar
code fields. 1 is a 5 mil narrow bar if the pixel width is 1 or a
10 mil narrow bar if the pixel width is 2. Pixel sizes by label
format are specified in the PRINT PARAMETERS screen (ALT-
P). Enter the desired XW dimension and press the RETURN
key. The cursor moves to the XH position.

7. Enter the desired XH dimension. The default for fonts is 1. The

default for element bar codes such as UPC or 128 is 1. For ratio-
based bar codes, the default is 1. Enter the desired XH dimension
and press the RETURN key. The prompt moves to the bar height
(BH) position.

8. In the BH position, a 3-digit number defines the printed bar height

for this field. For UPC/EAN bar codes, the default is .80". For all
other bar code fields, the default is .40". On all alphanumeric fonts,
the BH value is set at 0.00". Enter the desired bar height and press
the RETURN key. The cursor moves to the ROW position.

9. The 4-digit ROW field tells the Printer “how far up” on the label
you want to print the data. The default is 0.00" and the maximum
number cannot exceed the maximum label length set in the PRINT
PARAMETERS window. Use the bottom left corner as the starting
point for ROW and COLUMN positioning in all rotations.

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 Enter up to a 4-digit number for the desired vertical placement of
your field, followed by the RETURN key. If the measurement you
have entered is acceptable, the prompt moves to the COL position.
If the measurement you select is too large for the given space or the
capability of the Printer, the following error message will appear:

NUMBER OUT OF RANGE

You will have to re-enter the data.

When specifying measurements, always measure to the bottom of

the field. For example, if using font “6”, the measurement will be to
the bottom of the alphanumeric letters. If using a bar code, the
measurement will be to the bottom of the bar code’s human
readable line. If the bar code you are printing does not have a
human readable line, measure to the bottom of the bars.

When rotating a bar code or alphanumeric field, the ROW

measurement is specified as the amount of space from the starting
point of the label to the top of the field (wherever you want printing
to begin).

10. The 4-digit COLUMN number tells the Printer “how far over” from
the left edge of the label data is to be printed. Enter the number for
this field, then press the RETURN key. If the measurement is
acceptable, the prompt moves to the TYPE position. If the
measurement is too large for the given space or the capability of the
Printer, the NUMBER OUT OF RANGE error message will appear
and you will have to re-enter your data. The cursor moves to the
TYPE position.

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11. The TYPE position tells the Printer how the DATA/PROMPT area is
to be used. You have eight choices: C, D, P, R, +, -, <, and >.
a. The most common TYPE is “D” for data. It tells the Printer that
fixed data will be entered in this field. In other words, whatever
alpha and/or numeric characters you enter in the DATA/
PROMPT position will be printed on the label exactly as entered
on the screen. After pressing the “D” key, the prompt moves to
the DATA/PROMPT position. Enter the data you want printed
on the label, and press the RETURN key. Type “D” is also
specified when using special fonts “X” and “Y” for graphic
lines, boxes, and illustrations.
b. Press the “P” key to signify “this is a prompt.” Whatever is
typed in the DATA/PROMPT position will reappear on the
PRINT LABEL screen. This allows you to set up the desired
label format ahead of time, but to change variable information
every time you print that format.
For example, if you are printing inventory labels, you may want
the same company name, date, and factory location printed on
every label in exactly the same position. However, the stock
number for the part changes every 100 or so labels. You could
set up the stock number field as a prompt, perhaps entering in
the DATA/PROMPT position the phrase “ENTER STOCK
NUMBER." Every time you select the format in the PRINT
LABEL screen, the phrase “ENTER STOCK NUMBER” appears.
You then enter the desired stock number for that label run and
that information is printed on every label.
c. + - < > Enter one of the following to signify a consecutive
number or alpha character:

+ for numeric increment

- for numeric decrement
> for alpha increment
< for alpha decrement

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 If any of the above are entered, you will be printing either
incrementing or decrementing numbers or letters in the label
position you specified earlier in this field. Information you add
in the DATA/PROMPT field in the next step will tell the Printer
by what increment you want to count. When you are on the
PRINT LABEL screen, it will ask you “INITIAL INCREMENT?
or INITIAL DECREMENT?”. The number you enter at this
time will be incremented or decremented every time a label is
printed. The number of labels printed with the same number
before an increment or decrement occurs can also be set in the
ALT-P window, described earlier. The default is 1.
d. Press the “C” key to signify a comment. Any data entered in
DATA/PROMPT will appear on the PRINT LABEL screen as a
comment. This function is useful to give the operator special
instructions, such as to load a particular type of media for the
labels to be printed. Comment fields do not affect the printing
of the label.
e. Press the “R” key to request a repeat of the previous field’s data.
After entering one of the above choices, the prompt moves to
the DATA/PROMPT position.

12. In the DATA/PROMPT position, you have three choices, explained

in a, b, and c.
a. If a “D” was selected in the preceding step, enter the desired
data. The Printer automatically computes how many characters
you have room for on the label width specified in your ALT-P
label width and/or label length settings. If there is not enough
room specified in the ROW and/or COLUMN measurements,
the screen will show the following error message:

NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR FIELD DATA

You will have to re-enter some of the data.

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 Use the DEL or HOME key or the arrow keys to change any
information. Also, if the Printer does not allow you to enter as
many characters as you need, you may have to back up with the
arrow keys to allow more room on the label or change font size.
For special font “X”, enter the required information. For special
font “Y”, enter the name of the picture image you want to call
from the memory module for printing at this field position.
b. Enter the desired PROMPT information. The field allows up to
44 characters.
c. Enter the desired consecutive number fill character and
increment value. The field has this format: xnn . Use this chart
to specify the parameters:
x = fill character.
It can be any character, including a space. For example,
if * is used, all insignificant characters will be filled with
“*”. If 0 is used, the field will fill with zeros.

nn... = increment value desired.

If 01, it will increment by ones (i.e. 1, 2, 3 etc.). If 02, it
will increment by twos (i.e. 1, 3, 5, 7 etc.). Can be any
value up to 99.

For example, an entry of 02 will print like this:

02
04
06
08
10

Once in the PRINT LABEL screen, the operator is prompted for

an initial increment or decrement value. The value entered is
the starting value for that run of labels. As a separate function,
an increment every “x” number of labels can be set in the
PRINT PARAMETERS screen (ALT-P).

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Using the Printer's Internal Labeling Software Page - 95
 d. For comment fields, enter the data you wish to have appear on
the PRINT screen in the DATA/PROMPT field.
e. Repeat Fields. Enter the data in the DATA/PROMPT field just
as if the field were a type “D” field. Place a “^” character in the
data string at the place you wish to insert the data from the
previous field into this field.
After you enter the desired data, prompt, comment, or
consecutive number information, press the RETURN key. The
prompt moves to the next line on the screen and is ready for
another field of information.

13. Enter additional fields of information as desired. To print a sample

label, press the “ALT-X” keys and the PRINT screen will appear
with a quantity of “0001”. Press ENTER again and a sample label
will be printed and the CREATE screen will return.
After all fields are completed, press the ESC key from any fields in
the “ROT” columns. This brings the cursor back to the LABEL
NAME position.

14. To print a quantity of the label defined, press the F1 key (SWITCH).
The PRINT LABEL screen appears. See the next section for
information on the PRINT LABEL screen.

5.5 Print Label Screen

The PRINT LABEL screen is used to print labels that have been
formatted and/or modified in the CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screen.
From the CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screen, press the F1 key to toggle
to the PRINT LABEL screen. It should look like this:

PRINT LABEL

LABEL NAME:
QUANTITY:0

________________________________________________________
__
Page - 96 Using the Printer's Internal Labeling Software
When on the PRINT LABEL screen, the procedure for printing a label is
as follows:

1. Enter the LABEL NAME you want to print and press the RETURN
key. The prompt moves to the QUANTITY position. (If for some
reason the Printer does not find the label name you entered, you will
receive an error message and will have to re-enter the label name.)
The F2 key (LIST) is available when in the LABEL NAME position
to list all names entered in the currently installed memory module.

2. Enter up to a 4-digit number for the quantity you want to print and
press the RETURN key. The maximum number of labels per run is
9999.

3. Depending on how you set up the label, the cursor may have moved
to the INITIAL INCREMENT or INITIAL DECREMENT position
(if a consecutive number or letter was specified as a data type) or to
a prompting position (if a “P” was specified as a data type). Enter
the starting number or the prompt information, followed by the
RETURN key, for each consecutive number or prompt. After this
information is completed, the cursor moves to the SAMPLE?
position.

4. In the SAMPLE? position, you have two choices:

a. You can print a sample label to check data placement by
pressing the “Y” key for yes. A sample label is then printed and
the prompt returns to the SAMPLE? position. At this point, you
can go to step b. below, or you can stop the run by pressing the
up arrow key to move the prompt back to the LABEL NAME
position. Press the F1 key (SWITCH) to re-edit your format in
the CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screen.
b. If you do not need a sample, press the “N” or the RETURN key
for no, and the number of labels you requested will be printed.
After the print job request is sent to the Printer, the prompt
moves back to the LABEL NAME position. Additional print
jobs can now be sent to the Printer or you can go back to the
CREATE/MODIFY LABEL screen.

________________________________________________________
__
Using the Printer's Internal Labeling Software Page - 97
5.6 System Maintenance Screen
The third screen, SYSTEM MAINTENANCE, is used to format and
copy memory modules, print test labels, and perform several other
maintenance functions.

Access the screen in the LABEL NAME position of the

CREATE/MODIFY LABEL or PRINT LABEL screens by keying in
ALT-S. This screen will appear:

SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

1) FORMAT MODULE
2) COPY MODULE
3) METRIC? NO
4) PRINT TEST LABEL
5) SYSTEM TEST LABEL
6) TEST MODULE
7) RESET PRINTER
8) EXIT TO RS232 SYSTEM

ENTER NUMBER:

To exit the screen, press the ESC key. All SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
screen choices are explained below:

1. FORMAT MODULE. Used to initially format or to reformat a

memory module.

2. COPY MODULE. Copies graphic images and/or label formats from

one memory module to another. Be certain that the WRITE
PROTECT SWITCH is ON for the source module, and OFF for the
destination module. Follow the screen prompts to perform the copy
routine.

3. METRIC. Each time number 3 is pressed, the screen will toggle

between METRIC NO and METRIC YES. When in the METRIC
mode, all references to dimensions will be of METRIC measure.

________________________________________________________
__
Page - 98 Using the Printer's Internal Labeling Software
4. PRINT TEST LABEL. Prints a head test label. Used as a relative
gauge of head condition and wear.

5. SYSTEM TEST LABEL. Lists all current Printer settings and checks
both ROM and RAM. Prints a head test label after the system test.

6. TEST MODULE. Tests a memory module to see if the battery is

functioning and that it is capable of erasing and loading data.
WARNING: this test destroys all existing memory module data!
Follow the prompts to perform the test.

7. RESET PRINTER. Same as turning the main power switch on and

off. Resets the Printer’s processor circuit. Used if the processor
locks up or “goes off in the weeds” due to a power surge, spike, or
other power line interference.

8. EXIT TO RS-232 SYSTEM. Same as turning DIP switch SW-1, #5

off and turning main power switch off and on. Useful if connecting
an A/B switch box to the CRT and a PC at the same time for
downloading graphic images to memory modules.

________________________________________________________
__
Using the Printer's Internal Labeling Software Page - 99
________________________________________________________
__
Page - 100 Using the Printer's Internal Labeling Software
Appendix A
ASCII Control Code Chart
Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex
Ctrl @ NUL 0 00 32 20 @ 64 40 ` 96 60
Ctrl A SOH 1 01 ! 33 21 A 65 41 a 97 61
Ctrl B STX 2 02 Ò 34 22 B 66 42 b 98 62
Ctrl C EXT 3 03 # 35 23 C 67 43 c 99 63
Ctrl D EOT 4 04 $ 36 24 D 68 44 d 100 64
Ctrl E ENQ 5 05 % 37 25 E 69 45 e 101 65
Ctrl F ACK 6 06 & 38 26 F 70 46 f 102 66
Ctrl G BEL 7 07 Ô 39 27 G 71 47 g 103 67
Ctrl H BS 8 08 ( 40 28 H 72 48 h 104 68
Ctrl I HT 9 09 ) 41 29 I 73 49 i 105 69
Ctrl J LF 10 0A * 42 2A J 74 4A j 106 6A
Ctrl K VT 11 0B + 43 2B K 75 4B k 107 6B
Ctrl L FF 12 0C , 44 2C L 76 4C l 108 6C
Ctrl M CR 13 0D - 45 2D M 77 4D m 109 6D
Ctrl N SO 14 0E . 46 2E N 78 4E n 110 6E
Ctrl O SI 15 0F / 47 2F O 79 4F o 111 6F
Ctrl P DLE 16 10 0 48 30 P 80 50 p 112 70
Ctrl Q DC1 17 11 1 49 31 Q 81 51 q 113 71
Ctrl R DC2 18 12 2 50 32 R 82 52 r 114 72
Ctrl S DC3 19 13 3 51 33 S 83 53 s 115 73
Ctrl T DC4 20 14 4 52 34 T 84 54 t 116 74
Ctrl U NAK 21 15 5 53 35 U 85 55 u 117 75
Ctrl V SYN 22 16 6 54 36 V 86 56 v 118 76
Ctrl W ETB 23 17 7 55 37 W 87 57 w 119 77
Ctrl X CAN 24 18 8 56 38 X 88 58 x 120 78
Ctrl Y EM 25 19 9 57 39 Y 89 59 y 121 79
Ctrl Z SUB 26 1A : 58 3A Z 90 5A z 122 7A
Ctrl [ ESC 27 1B ; 59 3B [ 91 5B { 123 7B
Ctrl \ FS 28 1C < 60 3C \ 92 5C | 124 7C
Ctrl ] GS 29 1D = 61 3D ] 93 5D } 125 7D
Ctrl ^ RS 30 1E > 62 3E ^ 94 5E ~ 126 7E
Ctrl _ US 31 1F ? 63 3F _ 95 5F 127 7F

________________________________________________________
__
Appendix A Page A-1
 Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex Char Dec Hex
Ç 128 80 á 160 A0 192 C0 Ó 224 E0
ü 129 81 í 161 A1 193 C1 ß 225 E1
é 130 82 ó 162 A2 194 C2 Ô 226 E2
â 131 83 ú 163 A3 195 C3 Ò 227 E3
ä 132 84 ñ 164 A4 196 C4 õ 228 E4
à 133 85 Ñ 165 A5 197 C5 Õ 229 E5
å 134 86 ª 166 A6 ã 198 C6 µ 230 E6
ç 135 87 ° 167 A7 Ã 199 C7 þ 231 E7
ê 136 88 ¿ 168 A8 200 C8 Þ 232 E8
ë 137 89 ® 169 A9 201 C9 Ú 233 E9
è 138 8A 170 AA 202 CA Û 234 EA
ï 139 8B 1/2 171 AB 203 CB Ù 235 EB
î 140 8C 1/4 172 AC 204 CC ý 236 EC
ì 141 8D ¡ 173 AD 205 CD Ý 237 ED
Ä 142 8E 174 AE 206 CE 238 EE
Å 143 8F ¯ 175 AF 207 CF 239 EF
É 144 90 176 B0 ð 208 D0 240 F0
æ 145 91 177 B1 Ð 209 D1 ± 241 F1
Æ 146 92 ² 178 B2 Ê 210 D2 242 F2
ô 147 93 ³ 179 B3 Ë 211 D3 3/4 243 F3
ö 148 94 ´ 180 B4 È 212 D4 244 F4
ò 149 95 Á 181 B5 213 D5 245 F5
û 150 96 Â 182 B6 Í 214 D6 ÷ 246 F6
ù 151 97 À 183 B7 Î 215 D7 ¸ 247 F7
ÿ 152 98 © 184 B8 Ï 216 D8 º 248 F8
Ö 153 99 ¹ 185 B9 217 D9 ¨ 249 F9
Ü 154 9A 186 BA 218 DA · 250 FA
ø 155 9B » 187 BB 219 DB 251 FB
£ 156 9C 188 BC 220 DC 252 FC
Ø 157 9D ¢ 189 BD 221 DD 253 FD
x 158 9E ¥ 190 BE Ì 222 DE 254 FE
ƒ 159 9F 191 BF 223 DF 255 FF

NOTE: For the hardware handshake XON/XOFF commands

XON = (DC1) XOFF = (DC3)

________________________________________________________
__
Page A-2 Appendix A
Appendix B
DIP Switch Settings

S1 FUNCTION SELECTION

S1-1 S1-2 S1-3

9600 OFF OFF OFF
4800 OFF OFF ON
2400 OFF ON OFF
1200 OFF ON ON
600 ON OFF OFF
300 ON OFF ON
19200 ON ON OFF
TEST/9600 ON ON ON

WORD LENGTH S1-4

8,1,N-BIT WORD OFF
7,2,N-BIT WORD ON

MODE SELECTION S1-5

STANDARD RS-232/RS-422 INPUT OFF
INTERNAL BATCH LABELING ON

PRESENT SENSOR S1-6

DISABLE SENSOR OFF
ENABLE SENSOR ON

________________________________________________________
__
Appendix B Page B-1
RIBBON SENSOR S1-7
STANDARD SENSING OFF
INVERTED SENSING ON
(Colored and Special Ribbons)

CUTTER ENABLE S1-8

REMOTE CUT ENABLED ON
REMOTE CUT DISABLED OFF

________________________________________________________
__
Page B-2 Appendix B
Appendix C
Interface Cable Applications

Part Description
Number
556000 Printer to CRT Terminal (DB25P) RS-232
556001 Printer to PC 9 Pin (DB9S) RS-232
556002 Printer to PC 25 Pin (DB25S) RS-232
899516 Printer to PC Parallel Port (DB25P)

Pin Connections
All unlisted pins are not connected.

Pin Description
1 CHASSIS
2 TXD (RS-232)
3 RXD (RS-232)
4 RTS (4.7k ohm to +5VDC)
5 CTS (input)
7 LOGIC GROUND
20 BUSY (output)
9 TXD +
10 TXD -
18 RXD +
19 RXD -

________________________________________________________
__
Appendix C Page C-1
Null Modem Cable

HOST Printer

NOTE: Cable is used for typical connection to other DCE

equipment with XON/XOFF flow control.

Straight Cable (MM)

HOST Printer
SHIELD
1 1
RXD 2 2 TXD
TXD 3 3 RXD

GROUND
7
4
5
DB25P DB25P

NOTE: Cable is used for typical connection to other DCE

equipment with XON/XOFF flow control.

________________________________________________________
__
Page C-2 Appendix C
PC (DB25P) to Printer

"PC" (DTE) Printer

NOTE: Cable is used for connection to “PC” compatible with

DB25P communication Ports. Flow control is either
XON/XOFF or CTS/DTR.

________________________________________________________
__
Appendix C Page C-3
PC (DB9P) to Printer

"PC" (DCE) Printer

NOTE: Cable is used for connection to “PC” compatible with

DB25P communication Ports. Flow control is either
XON/XOFF or CTS/DTR.

________________________________________________________
__
Page C-4 Appendix C
Appendix D
Available Fonts and Bar Codes
All character fonts and bar codes available on the Printer are illustrated
on the following pages. Each font and bar code has a “name” associated
with it for use in programming. Human readable fonts have been given
numeric names while bar code fonts are selected by alpha names.
Uppercase alpha font names will print bar codes with human readable
interpretations. Lowercase alpha fonts will be the same bar codes
printed as bars only.

Human readable fonts use the slash zero convention for distinguishing
between the zero and the alphabetic O. Fonts 0, 1, and 2 include the
upper and lowercase ASCII characters, which include commonly used
international characters.

I. Standard Human Readable Fonts

CPI at 1, 2, & 3X 203 DPI PRINTER 152 DPI PRINTER
Dot Pattern 1x1 2X2 2X3 1x1 2X2 2X3
Rotations ALL ROT ALL ROT ROT ALL ROT ALL ROT ROT 2&4
2&4
DPI 200 100 66.7 153.8 76.3 51.3
Dot Size 0.005 0.010 0.015 0.0065 0.0130 0.0195
FONT Dot H Dot W Dot Sp
0 7 5 1 33.83 16.92 11.28 25.64 12.82 8.55
1 13 7 2 22.56 11.28 7.52 17.09 8.55 5.70
2 18 10 2 16.92 8.46 5.64 12.82 6.41 4.27
3 27 14 2 12.69 6.34 4.23 9.62 4.81 3.21
4 36 18 3 9.67 4.83 3.22 7.33 3.66 2.44
5 52 18 3 9.67 4.83 3.22 7.33 3.66 2.44
6 64 32 4 5.64 2.82 1.88 4.27 2.14 1.42
7 32 15 5 10.15 5.08 3.38 7.69 3.85 2.56
8 28 15 5 10.15 5.08 3.38 7.69 3.85 2.56

Appendix D Page D-1

II. BAR CODES With Interpretation Line
(UPPERCASE)

Ratio Based Barcodes

203 DPI Printer (actual dpi - 203)

Ratio
(i.e. 2:1, 3:1, 5) 2:1 5:2 3:1 2:1 5:2 3:1
Narrow Bar
Name 0.005 0.005 0.005 0.010 0.010 0.010
A 30F9 15.62 7.00 12.69 7.81 3.50 6.34
D 120F5 14.50 6.34 11.28 7.25 3.17 5.64
H HIBC 15.62 7.00 12.69 7.81 3.5 6.34
I CODABAR 14.50 6.34 11.28 7.25 3.17 5.64
J 120F5 W/BARS 16.92 7.25 12.69 8.46 3.63 6.34
K PLESSEY 20.30 9.23 16.92 10.15 4.61 8.46
L UPC CASE 14.50 6.34 11.28 7.25 3.17 5.64
152 DPI Printer (actual dpi - 153.8)
2:1 5:2 3:1 2:1 5:2 3:1
Narrow Bar
Name 0.006 0.006 0.006 0.0130 0.0130 0.0130
A 30F9 11.83 5.31 9.62 5.92 2.65 4.81
D 120F5 10.99 4.81 8.55 5.49 2.40 4.27
H HIBC 11.83 5.31 9.62 5.92 2.65 4.81
I CODABAR 10.99 4.81 8.55 5.49 2.40 4.27
J 120F5 W/BARS 12.82 5.49 9.62 6.41 2.75 4.81
K PLESSEY 15.38 6.99 12.82 7.69 3.50 6.41
L UPC CASE 10.99 4.81 8.55 5.49 2.40 4.27

Page - D2 Appendix D
Element Based Barcodes

203 DPI Printer (actual dpi - 203)

Multiplier = 1 2 3 4 6 8
Narrow Bar
Width 0.0049 0.0049 0.0049 0.0049 0.0049 0.0049
B UPC-A 38% 76% 114% 152% 227% 303%
C UPC-E 38% 76% 114% 152% 227% 303%
E CODE128 9.23 3.69 6.15 4.61 1.85 3.08
(B)
F EAN-13 38% 76% 114% 152% 227% 303%
G EAN-8 38% 76% 114% 152% 227% 303%
M UPC 2DIG ADD 38% 76% 114% 152% 227% 303%
N UPC 5DIG ADD 38% 76% 114% 152% 227% 303%
O CODE 93 11.28 4.51 7.52 5.64 2.26 3.76
152 DPI Printer (actual dpi - 153.8)
Multiplier = 1 2 3 4 6 8
Narrow Bar
Width 0.0065 0.0065 0.0065 0.0065 0.0065 0.0065
B UPC-A 50% 100% 150% 200% 300% 400%
C UPC-E 50% 100% 150% 200% 300% 400%
E CODE128 (B) 6.99 2.80 4.66 3.50 1.40 2.33
F EAN-13 50% 100% 150% 200% 300% 400%
G EAN-8 50% 100% 150% 200% 300% 400%
M UPC 2DIG ADD 50% 100% 150% 200% 300% 400%
N UPC 5DIG ADD 50% 100% 150% 200% 300% 400%
O CODE 93 8.55 3.42 5.70 4.27 1.71 2.85

Appendix D Page D-3

ALL EXAMPLES ARE PRINTED WITH A 10 x 10 MIL PIXEL SIZE,
AND A 1X MAGNIFICATION ON THE HORIZONTAL AND
VERTICAL DOT PATTERNS.

III. Standard Fonts - Human Readable Examples

0: Identifies a 96-character alphanumeric font. Uppercase and

lowercase. Characters are 7 dots high, 5 dots wide, and 1 dot
spacing.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

1: Identifies a 145-character uppercase and lowercase

alphanumeric font that includes descenders and ascenders.
Characters are 9 dots high, 9 dots wide, and 2 dots spacing
(International characters are 13 dots high, 7 dots wide, and 2
dots spacing).

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Page - D4 Appendix D
 2: Identifies a 138-character alphanumeric upper and lowercase
font. Characters are 18 dots high, 10 dots wide, and 2 dots
spacing.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

3: Identifies a 62-character alphanumeric font, uppercase.

Characters are 27 dots high, 14 dots wide, and 2 dots spacing.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-5

 4: Identifies a 62-character alphanumeric font, uppercase.
Characters are 36 dots high, 18 dots wide, and 3 dots spacing.

203 DPI Printer

152 DPI Printer

Page - D6 Appendix D
 5: Identifies a 62-character alphanumeric font, uppercase.
Characters are 52 dots high, 18 dots wide, and 3 dots spacing.

203 DPI Printer

152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-7

 6: Identifies a 62-character alphanumeric font, uppercase.
Characters are 64 dots high, 32 dots wide, and 4 dots spacing.

203 DPI Printer

Page - D8 Appendix D
6. (Continued)
152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-9

 7: Identifies a font that prints OCR-A, size I. Characters are 32
dots high, 15 dots wide, and 5 dots spacing.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

8: Identifies a font that prints OCR-B, size III. Characters are 28

dots high, 15 dots wide, and 5 dots spacing.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Page - D10 Appendix D

IV Bar Code Examples
A: Identifies the Code 3 of 9 bar code. Code 39 is an uppercase,
alphanumeric bar code that is variable in length. The valid
ASCII characters for this font are: 32, 36-37, 42-43, 45-47, 48-
57, 65-90. Code 3 of 9’s normal wide to narrow bar ratio is 3:1.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

B: Identifies the UPC-A bar code. Numeric-only bar code with a

fixed length of 12 characters. Eleven digits supplied by host or
application software, 12th digit checksum supplied by Printer.
If the 12th digit is sent by the host, the Printer will check that
character against the calculated checksum and will print the bar
code as all zeros if they do not match. Addendum codes for this
font are described by fonts M and N. The normal ratios that the
Printer can print are 1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 6:6, and 8:8. These ratios
actually specify size of elements since UPC type bar codes are
element based and not ratio based. (Maximum 10 bar codes per
label.)

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-11

 Option V: Identifies Random Weight UPC bar code. The seventh
digit supplied by the host or application software must be
an uppercase V followed by 4 digit weight information.
Eleven digit checksum is supplied by the Printer.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

C: Identifies the truncated UPC-E bar code. Numeric-only bar

code with a fixed length of 7 characters. Six digits supplied by
host or application program, 7th digit checksum supplied by the
Printer. If the 7th digit is sent by the host, the Printer will check
that character against the calculated checksum and will print the
bar code as all zero if they do not match. Addendum codes for
this font are described by fonts M and N. The normal ratios that
the Printer can print are 1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 6:6, and 8:8. These
ratios actually specify size of elements since UPC type bar codes
are element based and not ratio based.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Page - D12 Appendix D

 D: Identifies the Interleaved 2 of 5 bar code. I 2 of 5 is a numeric-
only code. The ASCII range for the numeric codes is 48-57.
Code I 2 of 5’s normal wide to narrow bar ratio is 5:2.
(Maximum 8 bar codes per label.)

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

E: Identifies the Code 128 variable length bar code with modulo 103
checksum calculation. Code 128 can encode the entire 128 ASCII
character set, including both uppercase and lowercase alpha characters.
Code 128 is an element based bar code similar to the UPC fonts.
Therefore ratios must be equal to one. The valid ratios are 1:1, 2:2, 3:3,
4:4, 6:6, and 8:8.

The Printer supports Code 128 Code Subset A, B, and C. You can
select the Printer to start on any code subset and switch to another with
the data area (default is subset B).

Code Subset A includes all of the standard upper case alphanumeric

keyboard characters plus the control and the special characters. To
select Code Subset A, precede the data to be encoded with an ASCII A
(DEC 65, HEX 41).

Appendix D Page D-13

Code Subset B includes all of the standard upper case alphanumeric
keyboard characters plus lower case alphabetic and special characters.
To select Code Subset B, precede the data to be encoded with an ASCII
B (DEC 66, HEX 42). If no start character is sent for the 128 font, Code
Subset B will be selected by default.

Code Subset C includes the set of 100 digit pairs from 00 through 99
inclusive, as well as special characters. Code Subset C is used for
double density encoding of numeric data. To select Code Subset C,
precede the data to be encoded with an ASCII C (DEC 67, HEX 43).
You must not try to encode alpha data if you select Code Subset C.

Special Character Handling

Characters above ASCII value 95 are considered special characters. To

access these values, a two character reference table has been built into
the Printer. The following table describes this reference.

ASCII 2 CHAR CODEA CODEB CODEC

95 &A FNC3 FNC3 –NA–
96 &B FNC2 FNC2 –NA–
97 &C SHIFT SHIFT –NA–
98 &D CODEC CODEC –NA–
99 &E CODEB FNC4 CODEB
100 &F FNC4 CODEA CODEA
101 &G FNC1 FNC1 FNC1

As an example, to get FNC2 to be encoded into a Code Subset A bar

code, send the ASCII & (ASCII 38, HEX 26) followed by an ASCII B
(DEC 66, HEX 41), code FNC2 will be encoded.

Example: ATEST&B123

Data Encoded: TEST<FNC2>123

Page - D14 Appendix D

Control Codes:

Control characters can be encoded into Code Subset A by sending the

lowercase ASCII characters “a-z”, “a” = SOH, “b” = STX, “c” = ETX
and so on.

Font Sizing:

Font sizing for 128 on Rotation #2 is not consistent because of the

variable character code to character correlation. Therefore the row
address may have to be adjusted to place it properly.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-15

 F: Identifies the standard EAN-13 bar code. Numeric-only bar
code; fixed in length. Twelve digits supplied by host or
application software, 13th digit checksum supplied by Printer.
If the 13th digit is sent by the host, the Printer will check that
character against the calculated checksum and will print the bar
code as all zero if they do not match. Addendum codes for this
font are described by fonts M and N. The normal ratios that the
Printer can print are 1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 6:6, and 8:8. These ratios
actually specify size of elements since EAN type bar codes are
element based and not ratio based. Maximum 12 bar codes per
label.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Page - D16 Appendix D

 G: Identifies the truncated EAN-8 bar code. Numeric-only bar
code; fixed in length. Seven digits supplied by host or
application software, 8th digit supplied by the Printer. If the 8th
digit is sent by the host, the Printer will check that character
against the calculated checksum and will print the bar code as all
zero if they do not match. Addendum codes for this font are
described by fonts M and N. The normal ratios that the Printer
can print are 1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 6:6, and 8:8. These ratios actually
specify size of elements since EAN type bar codes are element
based and not ratio based.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-17

 H: Identifies the HIBC (modulo 43 checksum) version of the code
3 of 9 bar code. The checksum will be placed at the end of the
data string that is received from the host. The host device must
supply the leading “+”s to identify the data format type. Code
39 is an uppercase, alphanumeric bar code that is variable in
length. The valid ASCII characters for this font are: 32, 36-39,
42-43, 45-47, 48-57, 65-90. Code 3 of 9’s normal wide to
narrow bar ratio is 3:1.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

I: Identifies the 20-character CODABAR bar code. CODABAR is

basically a numeric bar code with some special additional
characters. These characters are “0123456789ABCD$+-./:”
excluding the “ characters. The length of the code is variable
and is normally printed with a 3:1 ratio. CODABAR needs a
start and stop character.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Page - D18 Appendix D

 J: Identifies an I 2 of 5 bar code with modulo 10 checksum
calculation. The ASCII range for the numeric codes is 48-57.
Code I 2 of 5’s normal wide to narrow bar ratio is 5:2. Font D
and L also print different forms of the I 2 of 5 bar code.
Maximum 8 bar codes per label.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

K: Identifies the Plessey bar code.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-19

 L: Identifies an I 2 of 5 bar code with modulo 10 checksum (UPC
shipping container symbology) that does the special human
readable formatting and adds bearer bars to the top and bottom
of bars when encoding 13 digits. The ASCII range for the
numeric codes is 48-57. Code I 2 of 5’s normal wide to narrow
bar ratio of 5:2. Font D and J also print different forms of the I
2 of 5 bar code. There must be a maximum of 8 bar codes per
label.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Page - D20 Appendix D

 M: Identifies the 2 digit addendum code for UPC fonts. It is a
numeric-only bar code with a fixed length of 3 characters. Two
characters supplied by the host or application software, the third
digit checksum supplied by Printer. If the third digit is sent by
the host, the Printer will check that character against the
calculated checksum and will print the bar code as all zero if
they do not match. The normal ratios that the Printer can print
are 1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 6:6, and 8:8. These ratios actually specify
size of elements since UPC type bar codes are element based and
not ratio based. It must be placed after the UPC/EAN code
manually. This code should be placed 9 modulus away from
the end of preceding bar codes.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-21

 N: Identifies the 5 digit addendum code for UPC fonts. It is a
numeric-only bar code with a fixed length of 6 characters. Five
characters supplied by the host or application software, the sixth
digit checksum supplied by Printer. If the sixth digit is sent by
the host, the Printer will check that character against the
calculated checksum and will print the bar code as all zero if
they do not match. The normal ratios that the Printer can print
are 1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 6:6, and 8:8. These ratios actually specify
size of elements since UPC type bar codes are element based and
not ratio based. It must be place after the UPC/EAN code
manually. This code should be placed 9 modulus away from
the end of preceding bar codes.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Page - D22 Appendix D

 O: Identifies the Code 93 bar code. Code 93 is an upper and lower
case alpha numeric bar code. The normal ratios that the Printer
can print are 1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 6:6, and 8:8. These numbers
actually specify size of magnification and are element based; not
ratio based. The ASCII characters that are permissible for Code
93 are “:,&#0$%*+ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz”.

203 DPI Printer 152 DPI Printer

Appendix D Page D-23

Appendix E

Transmitted Error Codes

Small “c” The Printer received a data byte from the host that
contains a framing error (corrupted) usually due to
noise.

Small “v” Input buffer overflow.

Appendix E Page E-1

Page E-2 Appendix E
 Warranty Information

LIMITED WARRANTY STATEMENT

PRODIGY AND PRODIGY 152
LABEL PRINTERS

Printer
DATAMAX Bar Code Products Corporation, (hereinafter referred to as
"DATAMAX"), warrants to Purchaser that under normal use and
service, the PRODIGY and PRODIGY 152 Label Printers (with the
exception of the thermal printhead) purchased hereunder shall be free
from defects in material and workmanship for a period of (365) days
from the date of shipment by DATAMAX.

Expendable and/or consumable items or parts such as lamps, fuses,

labels and ribbons are not covered under this warranty. This warranty
does not cover equipment or parts which have been misused, altered,
neglected, handled carelessly, or used for purposes other than those for
which they were manufactured. This warranty also does not cover loss,
damages resulting from accident, or damages resulting from
unauthorized service.

Thermal Printhead
This warranty is limited to a period of ninety (90) days, or 1,000,000
linear inches of use, whichever comes first, for the PRODIGY and
PRODIGY 152 Label Printers thermal printhead. This ninety (90) day
warranty is valid only if a DATAMAX- approved thermal or thermal
transfer label media is used, as defined on the then current DATAMAX
list of Approved Thermal/Thermal Transfer Media, a copy of which is
available from DATAMAX. Failure to use DATAMAX-approved media
is justification for invalidation of this thermal printhead warranty. This
warranty does not cover printheads which have been misused, altered,
neglected, handled carelessly, or damaged due to improper cleaning or
unauthorized repairs.

Warranty Information 1
Warranty Service Procedures

If a defect should occur during the warranty period, the defective unit
shall be returned, freight and insurance prepaid, in the original shipping
containers, to DATAMAX at: 4501 Parkway Commerce Blvd., Orlando,
Florida 32808. Attached to the defective unit, include contact name,
action desired, a detailed description of the problem(s) and examples
when possible. DATAMAX shall not be responsible for any loss or
damages incurred in shipping. Any warranty work to be performed by
DATAMAX shall be subject to DATAMAX's confirmation that such
product meets DATAMAX's warranty. In the event of a defect covered
by its warranty, DATAMAX will return the repaired or replaced product
to Purchaser at DATAMAX's cost.

With respect to a defect in Hardware covered by the warranty, the

warranty shall continue in effect until the end of the original warranty
period or for sixty (60) days after the repair or replacement, whichever
is later.

General Warranty Provisions

DATAMAX makes no warranty as to the design, capability, capacity or

suitability of any of its hardware, supplies, or software.

SOFTWARE IS LICENSED ON AN 'AS IS' BASIS WITHOUT

WARRANTY.

EXCEPT AND TO THE EXTENT EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THIS

WARRANTY AND IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, THERE
ARE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING,
BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.

Purchaser shall be solely responsible for the selection, use, efficiency

and suitability of DATAMAX's products.

2 Warranty Information
Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT SHALL DATAMAX BE LIABLE TO PURCHASER

FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
OR LOST PROFITS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO
DATAMAX's PRODUCTS, OR THE PERFORMANCE OR A BREACH
THEREOF, EVEN IF DATAMAX HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY THEREOF. DATAMAX's LIABILITY, IF ANY, TO
PURCHASER OR TO THE CUSTOMERS OF PURCHASER
HEREUNDER SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE TOTAL
AMOUNTS PAID TO DATAMAX HEREUNDER BY THE
PURCHASER FOR A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT.

IN NO EVENT SHALL DATAMAX BE LIABLE TO PURCHASER

FOR ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM OR RELATED TO ANY
FAILURE OR DELAY OF DATAMAX IN THE DELIVERY OR
INSTALLATION OF THE COMPUTER HARDWARE, SUPPLIES OR
SOFTWARE OR IN THE PERFORMANCE OF ANY SERVICES.

THE REMEDIES SET FORTH HERE ARE THE SOLE AND

EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY
DAMAGES OF ANY KIND AND NATURE INCLUDING
INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL, WHETHER
ARISING FROM WARRANTY (INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTIES), CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, TORT OR
OTHERWISE.

IN THE EVENT ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES (INCLUDING, BUT

NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE) ARE FOUND TO EXIST, SUCH WARRANTIES ARE
LIMITED IN DURATION TO THE PERIOD OF THE WARRANTIES.

Some States do not permit the exclusion of incidental or consequential

damages, and in those States the foregoing limitations may not apply.
The warranties here give you specific legal rights, and you may have
other legal rights which vary from State to State

Warranty Information 3
4 Warranty Information