Paxar 9474 Users Manual Corel Ventura 9474PMCV.CHP

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Monarch

9474 Printer

TC9474PM 1/98 ©1998 Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Each product and program carries a respective written warranty, the only

warranty on which the customer can rely. Monarch reserves the right to make

changes in the product, the programs, and their availability at any time and

without notice. Although Monarch has made every effort to provide complete

and accurate information in this manual, Monarch shall not be liable for any

omissions or inaccuracies. Any update will be incorporated in a later edition of

this manual.

©1997 Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this

publication may be reproduced, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or

translated into any language in any form by any means, without the prior

written permission of Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.

WARNING

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 own expense.

CANADIAN D.O.C. WARNING

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from

digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department

of Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites

applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe A prescrites dans le Réglement sur le

brouillage radioélectrique édicte par le ministère des Communications du Canada.

Trademarks

MONARCH is a registered trademark of Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.

920, 924, 925 and 9474 are trademarks of Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.

Monarch Marking Systems

P.O. Box 608

Dayton, Ohio 45401

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

COMMUNICATION REQUIREMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Input Characteristics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Data Flow Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Setting Communication Values. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Cable Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

MESSAGE STRUCTURES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Creating Online Data Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Transmitting Online Data Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Error Notification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Data Transmission Errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Incorrect Data Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Monetary Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Programming Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Standard Syntax Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Standard Syntax Guidelines for Batches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Format Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Format Header Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Text Field Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9

Bar Code Field Record. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12

Line Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16

Batch Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Batch Header Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Entering Print Data for Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21

i

Using Multiple Batches with One Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23

Using Previously Defined Print Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-23

Batch Separators. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24

USING GRAPHICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Defining Graphic Image Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Placing the Image in a Format. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Clear Image Buffer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Field. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Compressing the Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

QUICK REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Text Font Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Parallel Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Rotated Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Character Width (in Dots) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Parallel Character Width (in Dots). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Bar Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Bar Code Densities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Bar Code Densities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Line Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

Special Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

Code 128 Function Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

ASCII Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Printable Characters by Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

English/Metric Conversion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

ERROR MESSAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

Diagnostic Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Startup Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Operation Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

ii

Printer Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

General Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

General Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Communication Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Offline Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Data Entry or Test Print Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Format Entry Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11

Online Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13

Online Warnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13

Online Communication Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16

SAMPLE DATA STREAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Formats, Text and Bar Code Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Sample Format Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Sample Batch Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Line Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Sample Format Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Sample Batch Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Graphic Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

Sample Format Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5

Sample Batch Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5

Compressed Graphic Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6

Sample Compressed Graphic Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6

Sample Format Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6

Sample Batch Data Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6

CODE 128 INFORMATION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

Bar Code Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Quiet Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4

Function Codes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5

128 Bar Code Character Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6

iii

iv

INTRODUCTION 1

This manual tells you how to enter online formats and batch data

for downloading to a Monarch® 9474 printer.

Refer to your Operator’s Handbook for general setup and

maintenance procedures, an explanation of data entry and batch

control for offline printing, and about creating and entering offline

formats.

Introduction 1-1

The 9474 printer can receive print data online from a host.

During online communication, the host treats the printer as an

RS-232 type printer. For the printer to communicate online, you

will need an RS-232 cable. For mainframe communication, you

may need a protocol converter.

Transmitting data from the host requires communication controls.

See Chapter 2, "Communication Requirements" for more

information.

Three types of data can be transmitted:

Format data The user-designed layout for online formats.

These formats are used by online batches for

printing.

These online formats can also be used

offline. However, formats created offline

cannot be used online.

Batch data Contains the format number and actual data

to be printed on the supply. Batch data is

downloaded to the printer and combined with

a format stored in the printer.

Graphic data Contains the actual pixel data which forms a

graphic image.

Format, batch, and graphic data are stored

when you turn the power off.

Format and graphic data may be sent at any time.

Since batch data is combined with a format for printing, the format

and graphic data for a batch must reside in the printer before

sending the batch.

Each data type has its own data stream structure. See Chapter 3,

"Message Structures" for more information.

1-2 Introduction

COMMUNICATION

REQUIREMENTS

2

To enable communications between the printer and the computer,

the printer communications setup must match the setup for the

host. The options are:

NBaud rate

NParity

NData flow control

NData bits

NStop bits

All online data uses the ASCII (American Standard Code for

Information Interchange) character code for interpretation of bits

as characters.

Communication Requirements 2-1

Input Characteristics

Below are the input characteristics for communications. The

defaults are shown in bold print.

NAsynchronous

NFull duplex

NSelectable options:

Baud rate 110, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600

Parity No parity, Odd, Even

Data flow Xon/Xoff, Data Terminal Ready (DTR)

Data bits Seven (7) or eight (8)

Stop bits One (1) or two (2)

Modify these communication settings on your printer as necessary

to match the settings on your host. See "Setting Communication

Values" for more information.

There are three main buffers: batch, format, and graphic. The

printer also has a 1024 byte input buffer which holds data until it

is processed into the respective buffer(s).

Data Flow Control

The printer uses Xon/Xoff or data terminal ready (DTR) for data

flow control. DTR flow control is usually required if you are using

an IBM-PC, unless the PC has a special Xon-Xoff program.

In DTR mode, the printer activates DTR when the printer can

accept more data from the host and deactivates when the

printer’s receive buffer is nearly full. In Xon/Xoff Mode, the

printer sends the Xon character when the printer can accept more

data and sends Xoff when the printer buffer is nearly full.

In either mode, once the printer has indicated that its buffer is

nearly full (by sending Xoff or deactivating DTR), up to 134

additional characters may be accepted without losing any data.

2-2 Communication Requirements

The printer does not require any hardware or software signals

from the host system in order to operate.

Flow control characters can be changed

offline through the Printer Configuration mode.

The total number of formats, batches, and graphics is only limited

by the amount of memory available.

Setting Communication Values

To set the communication parameters, follow the instructions

below. For more information on operating the printer, refer to the

Operator’s Handbook.

1. From the main menu, press d to display Printer

Configuration. Press e . You’ll see

Enter password: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Enter the 1-8 character password and press e .

When you first receive the printer, the

password is MANAGER or ONLINE.

2. You’ll see the Configuration Options menu.

Select Config Option:

Define Check Digit Schemes

Press d until you see Host Port Configuration. Press e

to select this option. With each parameter, you can enter a

new selection, or just press e to keep the value that is

displayed.

Communication Requirements 2-3

3. You’ll see the Host Option menu and the first online

parameter.

Select Baud Rate:

2400

Press d or u until you see the baud rate you need, then

press e . You’ll see

Enter Parity: N

N)one, O)dd or E)ven

4. Select the parity you need and press e . You’ll see

Enter Word Length [7-8]: 8

5. Select the word length you need and press e . You’ll see

Enter Stop Bits [1-2]: 1

6. Select the stop bits you need and press e . You’ll see

Enter Start (XON) character:

17

7. Enter a number from 1-127 for XON flow control, or 128 for

DTR flow control. You’ll see

Enter Stop (XOFF) character:

19

8. Enter a number from 1-127 for XOFF flow control, or 128 for

DTR flow control.

2-4 Communication Requirements

If you select DTR control (128) as the XON character, the

printer automatically sets 128 (DTR control) for the XOFF

character.

The Start and Stop characters must be set at 128 (DTR flow

control) for IBM PC equipment.

You’ll see the Configuration Options menu. Press 1 to exit

to the main menu.

Cable Interface

The printer accepts standard RS-232C electrical signal

transmissions when it is connected to a DB-25S connector

configured as Data Terminal Equipment (DTE). For correct

operation, use all defined pins.

For PC null modems, plug the RS-232 cable into:

NA serial (RS-232) port on the host or protocol converter

NThe 25-pin RS-232 connector on your printer. Refer to your

Operator’s Handbook for more information.

The RS-232C cable interface is set up as a terminal device (DTE):

Pin Description

3 Received Data

5 Clear to Send Input

6 Data Set Ready

2 Transmitted data

4 Request to send Output

20 Data Terminal Ready

1 Protective ground Ground

7 Signal ground

All other pins are open.

Communication Requirements 2-5

The cable interface for PC null modems is shown below.

9474 PC

FG 1 1 FG

TD 2 2 TD

RD 3 3 RD

RTS 4 4 RTS

CTS 5 5 CTS

DSR 6 6 DSR

CD 8 8 CD

DTR 20 20 DTR

SG 7 7 SG

2-6 Communication Requirements

MESSAGE STRUCTURES 3

This chapter has information and message structures for

NFormats

NBatch Data

Graphic image data is discussed in Chapter 4, "Using Graphics."

Message Structures 3-1

Creating Online Data Streams

Create data streams for your 9474 printer using a standard text

editor, such as EDLIN or TSO.

If you use a word processor to create data streams, make sure to

save the file in text-only or unformatted mode.

Transmitting Online Data Streams

Your printer must be in Online Mode before it will accept data

from your computer.

NSelect Online from the Select Operating Mode menu.

NPress e . You’ll see

Online Mode Ready:

Your printer is now ready to accept data.

Send data to the printer just as you would send any print data to a

printer from your computer.

For example, if you have a file named FORMAT1.DAT on an

MS-DOS system, you could send the data to your printer with

these commands:

MODE COM1:2400,N,8,1,P

MODE LPT1:=COM1

PRINT FORMAT1.DAT

This set of commands would send the file FORMAT1.DAT to a

printer connected to COM1 of an MS-DOS computer.

Format and graphic structures can be sent at any time.

Formats or graphics used by batch data must be sent before the

batch data referencing them. Any batch sent without a previously

defined format is ignored, generating an error.

3-2 Message Structures

Error Notification

Data handling and error checking are resident in the printer. If an

error in transmission occurs, an error is displayed on the printer

keypad display. However, no message is sent to the host and

processing continues until the end of the transmission.

Certain errors may put the printer in offline mode. See Chapter 6,

"Error Messages," for a list of possible messages.

Data Transmission Errors

The printer displays errors that occur during data

transmission. Printer fault errors stop the machine, which will

not resume printing until the operator corrects the error

condition. All these messages take the system offline.

Incorrect Data Errors

The printer pauses when it receives incorrect data from the

host. During the pause, it displays a message and beeps.

After ten seconds, or when the operator presses e, the

printer resumes operation. Normally, the printer loses the

data that caused the error.

If the host or the communications line goes down during

transmission, the printer displays the message

Waiting for command terminator.

Press F1 to abort download.

If you press 1 , the batch or format data that was being sent will

be lost and must be retransmitted.

Message Structures 3-3

Monetary Symbols

The default monetary symbols are the U.S. dollar and cents. The

ASCII characters $ (24 hex) and ^ (5E hex) represent the dollar

and cent symbols.

If you change your printer settings to use international pricing

symbols, these characters will then represent the new symbols.

For monetary selections that don’t have a cent equivalent, the ^

character is changed to a space.

In EBCDIC-based systems a ^ is not

available. Use ~94 to print a cent sign.

Commands

The following command characters are used in 9474 online data

streams.

Command

Character Hex

Value Description

{ 7B Open brace. Command LEADIN character

, 2C Comma. Inter-field separator (IFS)

; 3B Semicolon. Beginning of string character

p 7C Split vertical bar. Command inter-record

separator (IRS)

} 7D Close brace. Command TERMINATOR

character

3-4 Message Structures

Programming Conventions

All online commands from the host follow these rules.

NAll data after the TERMINATOR character ( } ) and before the

next LEADIN character ( { ) is ignored.

NThe hex values 7B, 7C and 7D are reserved as command

delimiters. All data of a value less than 20 hex and greater

than 7E hex is ignored.

NAll data strings (batch data, compressed bit-map images or

format data) begin with a semi-colon (3BH) and end with a

TERMINATOR or inter-record separator (IRS or p (7C hex)).

NAll space characters, except string definitions, are ignored.

NAll strings must be less than 100 characters.

Standard Syntax Guidelines

NA format header must be the first record in your format.

NBegin the format name with the beginning of string

character (;).

NBegin a record with a LEADIN character ({).

NMake sure the length and width in these records match your

supply length and width. Remember, these numbers are in

tenths of millimeters, so 500 equals 50 millimeters or 5

centimeters.

NMake sure the row and column locations in the text, bar code,

or line records are less than the supply length and width.

NAllow enough space to hold all the characters in the field, the

bar code height, or the line end point without running off the

supply.

NField definitions may be sent in any order, regardless of field

location. The last field carries priority over previous fields and

overwrites the previous fields if they overlap when printed.

Message Structures 3-5

NTo print human readable characters for Code 39, Interleaved 2

of 5, Codabar, Code 128 and MSI bar codes, create a

separate text field. However, using this method with UPC or

EAN bar codes may not correctly print the bar code.

NA new format with the same ID number as a previously defined

format overwrites the old format. However, the old format is

not overwritten until all batches queued to use the old format

are completed.

NEnd records with a record separator ( p ).

NEnd the last record in your format with a terminator

character (}).

Standard Syntax Guidelines for Batches

Read the standard syntax guidelines and note the additional items

for batches.

NA batch header must be the first record in your batch.

NFor a batch header record or batch data, make sure the

number in the first parameter matches the number of the

format you are using.

NIf you choose auto-naming (the printer assigns a batch name),

make sure there are no characters or spaces between the

beginning of string character (;) and the record separator ( p ).

NIf the field is an incrementing field, you can enter any type of

characters; however, only the numeric data increments.

NSend the correct format to the printer before sending the

batch. Batch data without a defined format generates an error.

3-6 Message Structures

Format Data

Format data contains the following:

NFormat identification number and name

NSupply size

NOnline field definitions for text, bar code, line and graphic fields

The following offline format elements are not supported online:

NMerged fields

NSub-fields

NTime or date fields

NUser-defined check digits

NFixed characters

NAlphanumeric distinction

NFixed or variable length

NPrice fields

You must supply these elements if you need them in your program.

The message structure used to transmit online format data is

shown below, followed by an example.

{FORMAT ID, LENGTH, WIDTH; FORMAT_NAME p

TEXT FIELD, INCREMENT FLAG, INCREMENT VALUE, ROW,

COLUMN, MULTIPLE, TEXT FONT,

CHARACTER ROTATION, FIELD ROTATION, COLOR p

BARCODE FIELD, INCREMENT FLAG, INCREMENT VALUE,

ROW, COLUMN, DENSITY,BAR CODE FONT,

FIELD ROTATION, HEIGHT, READABLE CHARACTERS p

LINE FIELD, ROW, COLUMN, DIRECTION, STOP,

THICKNESS p

GRAPHIC FIELD, ROW, COLUMN p

.

.}

Message Structures 3-7

Example

This example has three text fields and one bar code field.

{F1,0558,0507;ONLINE p

T00,I,000,0475,0050,1,1,0,0,B p

T01,I,000,0406,0050,1,1,0,0,B p

T02,I,000,0017,0253,1,1,0,0,B p

B00,I,000,0124,0093,1,1,0,0177,1 p }

The format header record (beginning with the Format ID) must

always be the first record in a format data stream.

Spaces can be used in the data stream.

However, if used in a string following a

semi-colon, they will be treated as printable

characters.

Format Header Record

The format header record is constructed as shown below.

Syntax {F##,LENGTH,WIDTH;FORMAT NAME p

Field Contents

F## Must begin with the letter ’F’ to represent the beginning of a

format data stream.

The F is followed by a one or two digit number as the format ID

Values: 0-99

Example: F23 = Format number 23

LENGTH One to four digits to define the supply length in tenths of

millimeters.

Values: 191-2032 (19.1 to 203.2 mm

or 0.75 to 8.0 inches)

Examples: 200 = 20mm

201 = 20.1mm

WIDTH

3-8 Message Structures

One to four digits to define the width of the supply in tenths of

millimeters (across the printhead).

Values: 191-1078 (0.75 to 4.25 inches)

;FORMAT_NAME One to eight-character name assigned by the user. It can

contain any ASCII alphanumeric character, including slash (/),

hyphen (-), space ( ), dollar sign ($), or decimal point (.).

The Format Name is a character string, so it is preceded by a

semicolon (;).

Example {F23, 500, 200;TEXTILES p

The format number is F23, the supply length is 50 millimeters, the

supply width is 20 millimeters, and the format is named

"TEXTILES."

Text Field Record

The text field record is constructed as shown below:

Syntax T##,IFLAG,IVALUE,ROW,COL,MAG,TFONT,C-ROT,

F-ROT,COLOR p

Field Contents

T## Must begin with the letter ‘T’ for a text field.

The T is followed by one or two digits for the field number.

There can be up to 100 fields per format, in any combination

of text, barcode, line, or graphic fields.

Values: 0-99

IFLAG You can set numeric fields to increase or decrease in value as

each ticket is printed.

This parameter consists of one character to define the field as

incremented, decremented, or constant.

Values: I = Increment

D = Decrement

Message Structures 3-9

If the field does not change, define IFLAG as ‘I’ and set

IVALUE to zero (0).

NOTE: Do not select incrementing on fields that contain a

check digit.

IVALUE One to three digits to define the amount by which the value in

the field increases or decreases as each ticket is printed. If

the field does not change, define IFLAG as ‘I’ and set IVALUE

to zero (0).

Values: 0-999

NOTE: The first number in the count sequence must contain

the same number of digits as the highest number to

be counted. For example, to count the numbers 1 to

999, the first number in the sequence must be entered

as 001.

ROW One to four digits to define the row location of the field on the

supply. This is the distance from the the guide edge zero

point at the bottom of the supply and the bottom of the field.

The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches from the bottom of

the supply. The bottom of the supply is the edge that exits the

printer first.

This value is measured in tenths of millimeters (TOMMS) and

must be less than the maximum length of the supply.

Values: 0-2032

COL One to four digits to define the column location of the field on

the supply. This is the distance from the guide edge zero

point at the left edge of the supply and the left edge of the

field.

The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches from the left edge of

the supply.

The unit of measurement is tenths of millimeters. The range

must be less than the maximum width of the supply.

Values: 0-1016 (0 to 4 inches)

MAG One to two digits as the magnification factor for the font of

text fields.

Values: 1 - 10

3-10 Message Structures

Font magnifications creating greater than 30% black print on a

format may result in lower print quality.

TFONT One digit as the font for the TEXT field. See Chapter 5,

"Quick References," for font samples.

Values: 1Standard

2Reduced

3Bold

5OCR-A

6UPC HR1

7UPC HR2

C-ROT Character rotation. The direction characters point with

respect to the field.

Values: 0 = tops of characters toward top of field

1 = tops of characters toward left of field

F-ROT Field rotation. The direction of the field with respect to the

supply.

Values: 0 = top of field toward top of supply

1 = top of field toward left of supply

2 = top of field toward bottom of supply

3 = top of field toward right of supply

COLOR One character to define the color of a text field.

Values: B = Black characters (42H)

W = White characters on black (57H)

Example T05,I,0,230,30,1,1,0,0,B p

The text field number is T05, the field does not change value with

successive tickets (IFLAG = I, increment value = 0). The field

begins 23 millimeters from the bottom and 3 millimeters from the

left edge of the print area. The font appears at normal size

(magnification = 1) and the Standard font is used (1). The tops of

characters point to the top of the field (character rotation = 0) and

the top of the field points to the top of the supply (rotation = 0).

Characters appear in Black.

Message Structures 3-11

Bar Code Field Record

The bar code field record is constructed as shown below.

Syntax B##,IFLAG,IVALUE,ROW,COL,DENSITY,BFONT,

F-ROT,HEIGHT,HR p

Field Contents

BARCODE Must be the letter ‘B’ for a bar code field.

The B is followed by one or two digits for the field number.

There can be up to 100 fields per format, in any combination

of text, barcode, line, or graphic fields.

Values: 0-99

IFLAG You can set numeric fields to increase or decrease in value as

each ticket is printed.

This parameter consists of one character to define the field as

incremented, decremented, or constant.

Values: I = Increment

D = Decrement

If the field does not change, define IFLAG as ‘I’ and set

IVALUE to zero (0).

NOTE: Do not select incrementing on UPC or EAN bar codes

or fields that contain a check digit.

IVALUE One to three digits to define the amount by which the value in

the field increases or decreases as each ticket is printed. If

the field does not change, define IFLAG as ‘I’ and set IVALUE

to zero (0).

NOTE: The first number in the count sequence must contain

the same number of digits as the highest number to

be counted. For example, to count the numbers 1 to

999, the first number in the sequence must be entered

as 001.

Values: 0-999

ROW One to four digits to define the row location of the field on the

supply. This is the distance from the guide edge zero point at

the bottom of the supply and the bottom of the field.

3-12 Message Structures

The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches from the bottom of

the supply. The bottom of the supply is the edge that exits the

printer first.

This value is measured in tenths of millimeters (TOMMS) and

must be less than the maximum length of the supply.

Values: 0-2032

NOTE: The minimum row location for serial bar code fields is

23 (0.09 inches)

COL One to four digits to define the column location of the field on

the supply. This is the distance from the guide edge zero

point at the left edge of the supply and the left edge of the

field.

The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches from the left edge of

the supply.

The unit of measurement is tenths of millimeters. The range

must be less than the maximum width of the supply.

Values: 0-1016 (0 to 4 inches)

DENSITY One digit for the bar code density for Interleaved 2 of 5, Code

128, MSI, Code 39, and UPC/EAN bar codes.

Values: 1-5

Some bar codes do not support all 5 values.

For the actual densities for these values, see Chapter 5,

"Quick References."

BFONT One digit indicating which bar code font to use.

Values: 1UPC-A

2UPC-E

3Interleaved 2 of 5

4Code 39

5Codabar

6EAN-8

7EAN-13

8Code 128

9MSI

10 UPC/EAN+2

11 UPC/EAN+5

Message Structures 3-13

F-ROT Field rotation. The direction of the field with respect to the

supply.

Values: 0 = top of field toward top of supply

1 = top of field toward left of supply

2 = top of field toward bottom of supply

3 = top of field toward right of supply

HEIGHT One to four digits for the bar code height in tenths of

millimeters. The value should be less than the length or width

of the supply.

Values: 50-2032 (5.1 to 203.2 mm or 0.2 to 8.0 inches)

HR (Human readable characters) One digit for the location of

human readable characters printed with a UPC or EAN bar

code. If no value is given, no human readable characters are

printed.

Values: 0 = No human readable characters printed

1 = Human readable printed above the bar code

2 = Human readable printed below the bar code

NOTE: Always use the HR parameter to generate the human

readable text for a UPC or EAN bar code. If you

manually insert human readable text, the barcode

may not print accurately.

Example B11,I,1,70,30,1,4,0,120,0 p

The bar code field number is B11, the field increases by 1 with

successive tickets (IFLAG = I, increment value = 1). The field

begins 7 millimeters from the bottom and 3 millimeters from the

left edge of the print area. The bar code density is 6.63

characters per inch (density = 1, code 39), and Code 39 (4) is

used. The top of the field points to the top of the supply (rotation

= 0). The height of the bar code is 12 millimeters and no human

readable characters appear with this bar code (0).

The following special restrictions apply to online bar codes:

UPCA You must send a leading zero, 11 digits of

data and a check digit (13 digits total).

3-14 Message Structures

UPCE The printer automatically prints a leading zero

for this bar code. You must send data and a

check digit (7 digits total).

EAN13 You must send 12 digits of data and a check

digit (13 digits total).

EAN8 You must send 7 digits of data and a check

digit (8 digits total).

NOTE: If the check digit is incorrect or omitted from a

UPC or EAN bar code, the printer will

automatically place the correct check digit in

the bar code.

I 2 of 5 This bar code has no check digit. The printer

automatically prints the start and stop

characters, so only the data must be sent.

The length of the data is variable. If the data

has an odd number of digits, add a leading

zero to make the length even.

Code 39 The start and stop characters must be placed

at the beginning and end of the data before it

is sent to the printer. The start and stop

character is an asterisk (*). The length of the

data is variable.

Codabar The start and stop characters must be placed

at the beginning and end of the data before it

is sent to the printer. The start and stop

characters are a combination of lowercase a,

b, c, or d. The length of this data is variable.

Code 128 You can send characters for Function Codes

1-4 as fixed data when defining a code 128

field and as batch data when printing.

To send the Function Codes, use a tilde (~)

followed by a three digit ASCII code as shown

in the following table.

Message Structures 3-15

For example, to print a string of bar code data

with function code F2 as the fourth character...

123(F2)5678

send this string of characters...

123~1295678

ASCII Code Function Code

~134 F1

~129 F2

~128 F3

~132 F4

Two additional bar codes are supported as extensions to both

UPC and EAN bar codes.

+2 Send exactly two digits for this bar code.

+5 Send exactly six digits (a five-digit bar code and a

one-digit check digit).

Line Field

The message structure below transmits a line field. This data

stream defines the bit map to form a graphic line field. Use the

line field to emphasize data by printing a line or box.

You can have up to 100 line images. The line record can be

placed in a format data stream anywhere following the format

header record. Lines are counted as fields, just like text or bar

code fields. When determining the number of fields in your

format, count each line as a separate field.

Syntax L##, ROW, COLUMN, DIRECTION, STOP,

THICKNESS p

3-16 Message Structures

Field Contents

L## Must begin with the letter ’L’ for a line field.

The L is followed by one or two digits for the field number.

There can be up to 100 fields per format, in any combination

of text, barcode, line, or graphic fields.

Values: 0-99

ROW One to four digits to define the row location of the field on the

supply. This is the distance from the the guide edge zero

point at the bottom of the supply and the bottom of the field.

The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches from the bottom of

the supply. The bottom of the supply is the edge that exits the

printer first.

This value is measured in tenths of millimeters (TOMMS) and

must be less than the maximum length of the supply.

Values: 0-2032

COLUMN One to four digits to define the column location of the field on

the supply. This is the distance from the guide edge zero

point at the left edge of the supply and the left edge of the

field.

The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches from the left edge of

the supply.

The unit of measurement is tenths of millimeters. The range

must be less than the maximum width of the supply.

Values: 0-1016 (0 to 4 inches)

DIRECTION One digit to define the direction of the line.

Values: 0 = Vertical

1 = Horizontal

STOP One to four digits to define the stop position (Row or Column,

dependent on the DIRECTION setting) for the line.

Values: 1-2032

THICKNESS One or two digits for the line thickness in dots. 1 dot = 1/192

inch

Values: 1-15

Message Structures 3-17

Example L22,400,100,1,190,5 p

The line field number is L22, the line begins 40 millimeters from

the bottom and 10 millimeters from the left edge of the print area.

The line is horizontal (direction = 1) and ends 19 millimeters from

the left edge of the supply. The line is 5 dots thick.

Example

This example draws a simple 1-inch box starting at row 50 and

column 50 on a 2" x 2.5" tag, as shown below.

Format

{F1,635,508;BOX p

L0,50,50,0,304,3 p

L1,50,50,1,304,3 p

L2,50,304,0,304,3 p

L3,304,50,1,316,3 p }

Batch

{B1,1,0,1,1,1,C;BOX.TEST p }

Note that line L3 is longer than the other 3 lines to complete the

box in the upper right corner.

3-18 Message Structures

Batch Data

The batch data stream contains:

NBatch information:

- format number (layout for the print image)

- print quantity

- supply definition

- item description (batch name)

NPrint image:

- field numbers

- data to be printed in each field

The message structure used to provide the printed data for an

online format is shown below. An example follows.

{B##,QUANTITY,CUT,REP,PARTS,0,MODE;BATCH_NAME p

T##;(..print data..) p

B##;(..print data..) p

.

.

.}

Batch Header Record

The batch header is the first record in the batch data stream.

Syntax {B##,QUANTITY,CUT,REP,PARTS,0,MODE;

BATCH_NAME p

Field Contents

B## Must begin with the letter ’B’ to begin a batch data stream.

The B is followed by the one or two digit number that matches

the format number. This is the number at the beginning of the

format record.

Values: 0-99

QUANTITY One to four digits for the quantity to print in a given batch.

Values: 1-9999

CUT/TAKEUP On printers with a knife:

Message Structures 3-19

One digit to control how tickets are cut.

Values: 0 = no cut

1 = cut each ticket in the batch (except last ticket)

2 = cut each ticket in the batch (including

last ticket in batch)

3 = cut between batches

NOTE: Do not use option 2 if your supply is less than 4

inches long (1016 tomms) or more than 8 inches long

(2032 tomms)

When using option 2, the first 0.7 inches of the supply cannot

be used for printing.

On non-knife printers:

On a 9474 with no knife, this parameter controls the backing

paper takeup, instead of the knife.

Values: 0 = print tags with no backing paper.

1 = print labels and take up the backing paper.

REP One to four digits for the supply repetition for cutting, and

increment/decrement field.

Values: 1-9999

PARTS One digit for the number of parts across the supply.

Values: 1-5

RESERVED Enter 0.

MODE One character to define the mode of printing, or batch

separator.

Values: 0 = separator off.

1 = double length separator (use for 924 or 925

stacker). 3 mm extra length tag on 920 stacker.

2 = normal length separator with 3 mm black stripe.

3 = 3 mm extra length tag with 6 mm stripe.

NOTE: If using value 0,1, 2, or 3, do not use a separate

batch separator packet.

3-20 Message Structures

C = Continuous

D = On Demand

If you enter D (On Demand) in the MODE field on a printer

with a knife, the value will default to C (Continuous).

;BATCH_NAME One to eight characters for the name of the batch. A priority

batch name must begin with a decimal. For example:

.SOCKS12.

Each batch should have a unique name, or you can omit the

name for automatic batch naming. If multiple batches are

sent with the same name, all batches are stored with the

same name. If you omit the batch name, the printer will

generate unique names which begin with the letters "AUTO"

and end with a 4-digit number. The 4-digit number is an

increment and can have a value from 1-9999 (example:

AUTO1354, where 1354 equals the increment).

Example {B11,200,2,5,2,0,3; p

The batch prints data using format 11 and prints 200 tickets. The

printer cuts after each ticket is printed, including the last ticket (2)

and each ticket will print 5 times. This is a two-part ticket. The

format prints 2 times horizontally across each ticket. A

double-length separator prints between batches (3). The batch

name is automatically assigned by the printer, because there are

no characters between the semi-colon and the record separator.

Entering Print Data for Fields

Enter the data to print in each field after the batch header record

as shown.

Syntax {B##,QUANTITY,CUT,REP,PARTS,0,MODE;

BATCH_NAME p

T##;print data.. p

B##;print data.. p

.

.

.}

Message Structures 3-21

T## The number of the text field to print (enter the number in place

of ##).

B## The number of the bar code field to print (enter the field

number in place of ##).

;print data p Enter the data you want to print in this field.

This character string begins with a semi-colon (;) and can be

1 to 100 characters long. Place a record separator ( p ) at the

end of this string.

If there is a text field you don’t want to use, enter that field

number and a semi-colon with no print data.

Example

This example contains data to print the label shown below.

{B1,0012,1,01,1,0,C;PTEST p

T00;TEST FORMAT1 p

T01;S/N 97464B p

T02;$12.34 p

B00;0012345678905 p }

The batch prints the phrase

"TEST FORMAT 1" in text field

T00, "S/N 97464B" in text field T01, "$12.34" in text field T02,

and "0012345678905" in bar code field B00.

If consecutive batch data streams use the same format, send only

the changed data fields. See the following section, "Using

Previously Defined Print Data."

3-22 Message Structures

Using Multiple Batches with One Format

You can send multiple batches for any format previously loaded

into the printer. To do so, send the format to the printer, then

send as many batches as you want to print data on that format.

This allows you to send multiple batches without sending a new

format with each batch.

Using Previously Defined Print Data

When sending multiple batches for one format, you can "re-use"

your print data. On consecutive batches, the data in a field does

not change, omit that field from the later batch.

When you leave out any field number that was specified in the

preceding batch, the data used in the preceding batch will print on

following batches until new field data is entered.

For example, batch 1 below prints a date in text field T01. Since

batch 1 and batch 2 are printed on the same day, batch 2 can

leave out field T01. Since T01 was defined in the preceding

batch, it will automatically print in batch 2.

Batch 1: Batch 2:

{ B12,1,0,1,1,0,C; p { B12,1,0,1,1,0,C; p

T01;12/31/90 p T02;Stock #52014

T02;Stock #43768 T03;Sprinkler }

T03;100’ Hose }

If two fields overlap, do NOT use this feature.

If fields overlap, you must send the format

before each batch.

Message Structures 3-23

Batch Separators

This command selects the use of batch separators. A batch

separator is a tag with a wide black line across the top or a

double length tag and is last tag in a batch. Your Operator’s

Handbook shows the type of batch separator used by your printer.

When printing online, add 1 to your batch quantity. The batch

separator does not add a tag to the total number of tags in a

batch. (In offline operation a batch separator increases the batch

count by one tag.)

The command structure is shown below, followed by an example.

If using this batch separator packet, make

sure the batch header "MODE" value is set to

C.

Syntax { S TYPE }

Field Contents

SMust be the letter ‘S’ to identify the batch separator selection.

TYPE A single digit to turn the batch separator selection on or off.

The resulting separator depends on the type of stacker you

are using.

3-24 Message Structures

Values 0, 1, 2, or 3 as shown in the table below.

Stacker Type

Data Stream

none 920 924/925

{S0} No separator No separator No separator

{S1} Double length tag

with no stripe

3 mm extra length

tag with 6 mm stripe

Double length tag

with no stripe

{S2} Normal length tag

with 3 mm stripe

Normal length tag

with 3 mm stripe

Normal length tag

with 3 mm stripe

{S3} 3 mm extra length

tag with

6 mm stripe

3 mm extra length

tag with 6 mm stripe

3 mm extra length

tag with 6 mm

stripe

Format data stream.

{F 12, 560, 508;SMALL2IN p

T1, I, 0, 300, 50, 1, 1, 0, 0, B p

T2, I, 0, 200, 50, 1, 1, 0, 0, B p

T3, I, 0, 150, 50, 1, 1, 0, 0, B p

T4, I, 0, 100, 50, 1, 1, 0, 0, B p

T5, I, 0, 050, 50, 1, 1, 0, 0, B p }

Batch data stream.

{S0}

{B 12, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, C;SMALL2IN p

T1;Separators off. p

T2;Line 2. p

T3;Line 3. p

T4;Line 4. p

T5;Line 5. p }

Message Structures 3-25

Turn batch separator on; print another batch.

{S1}

{B 12, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, C;SEP.ON p

T1;Separators on. p

T2;Line 2. p

T3;Line 3. p

T4;Line 4. p

T5;Line 5. p }

Turn batch separator off.

{S0}

3-26 Message Structures

USING GRAPHICS 4

There are two stages to printing a graphic:

NCreate the data stream for the graphic image

NPlace the image into a format.

To print a format with a graphic image, transmit data to the printer

in this order:

Graphic data stream to define the graphic image

Format data stream that references the graphic image

Batch data to print the format.

Using Graphics 4-1

Defining Graphic Image Data

Graphic images are created by a series of dots printed in a

specific pattern. This pattern results from a process of turning

dots "ON" or "OFF" on the printhead.

We will use the terms "black dots" to describe a dot that is ON,

and "white dots" for a dot that is OFF.

This section describes how to build a data stream to create this

pattern with your printer.

This example shows

how black dots and

white dots form an

image of the letter A.

To create a data stream for this image, start with the bottom row.

Count the number of white dots and black dots, in order of

appearance in each row.

For example, rows 1 through 4 (at the bottom) in the image above

have these dot counts:

Row 1: 4 White, 8 Black, 19 White, 8 Black, 4 White

Row 2: 4 White, 8 Black, 19 White, 8 Black, 4 White

Row 3: 4 White, 8 Black, 19 White, 8 Black, 4 White

Row 4: 5 White, 7 Black, 19 White, 7 Black, 5 White

Row 3

Row 2

Row 1

4-2 Using Graphics

The data stream uses letters to identify dot counts.

NCAPITAL letters represent black dots.

Nlowercase letters represent white dots.

Using the chart below, the data stream for row 1 would be:

Dot count:

Row 1: 4 White, 8 Black, 19 White, 8 Black, 4 White

Data Stream:

dHsHd p

(4 white = d, 8 black = H, 19 white = s)

Use multiple letter codes to indicate strings of same-color dots.

For example: 30 black dots = ZD

9 white dots = ccc

Coding Chart

Black Dots White Dots

#dots Code # dots Code # dots Code # dots Code

1A14N1a14n

2 B 15 O 2 b 15 o

3C16P3c16p

4D17Q4d17q

5E18R5e18r

6F19S6 f19s

7G20T7 g20t

8H21U8h21u

9I22V9i22v

10 J 23 W 10 j 23 w

11 K 24 X 11 k 24 x

12 L 25 Y 12 l 25 y

13 M 26 Z 13 m 26 z

The graphic data stream contains a graphic header record

followed by data streams for each row of dots in the image.

Using Graphics 4-3

Syntax

{G##,0,0,0,0 p

;...dot codes... p

;...dot codes... p

;...dot codes... p

.

.

.}

Field Contents

G## Must begin with the letter ’G’ to identify this as a graphic data

stream.

The G is followed by a one or two digit number to identify the

graphic image. Later you will use this number to insert the

graphic into a format.

Values: 0-99

NOTE: If this graphic is used in offline batch entry, the printer

assigns a name of GPH## where ## is the ID number

assigned here.

ROW Enter 0.

COLUMN Enter 0.

LINES Enter 0.

DOTS Enter 0.

;dot codes The first row of dot codes corresponds to the bottom row of

dots in the image. Essentially, this means you are building

the graphic image upside down in the data stream.

Note that since this record is a character string, it begins with

a semi-colon (;). You can place up to 100 characters in each

row.

Do not put any spaces in the dot code character string.

4-4 Using Graphics

Example

This graphic data stream

generates the letter A from the

grid earlier in this section. The

format and batch data streams to

print a sample tag follow the

graphic data stream.

The graphic is assigned a number

of 1 and it is 46 dots tall.

The graphic data stream uses the

same guidelines for structure and

syntax as the format data stream

does. See "Standard Syntax

Guidelines" in Chapter 3 for more

information.

{G1,0,0,0,0 p

;dHsHd p

;dHsHd p

;dHsHd p

;eGsGe p

;eHqHe p

;fGqGf p

;fHoHf p

;fHoHf p

;gGoGg p

;gHmHg p

;hGMGh p

;hGMGh p

;hGMGh p

;iFMFi p

;iFMFi p

;jEMEj p

;jEMEj p

;jEMEj p

;kHgHk p

;kHgHk p

;lGgGl p

;lHeHl p

;lHeHl p

;mGeGm p

;mGeGm p

;nGcGn p

;nGcGn p

;nGcGn p

;oFcFo p

;oGaGo p

;pFaFp p

;pFAFp p

;qEAEq p

;qEAEq p

;qEAEq p

;rDADr p

;rDADr p

;sCACs p

;sCACs p

;sCACs p

;tBABt p

;tBABt p

;uCu p

;uCu p

;uCu p

;vAv p }

Using Graphics 4-5

Placing the Image in a Format

The message structure below places a graphic field in a format.

You can have up to 100 graphic images. The graphic record can

be placed in a format data stream anywhere following the format

header record.

Graphics are counted as fields, just like text or bar code fields.

When determining the number of fields in your format, count each

graphic as a separate field.

Syntax G##, ROW, COLUMN p

If graphic fields overlap with other fields in the data stream, the

last field in the data stream will dominate.

Field Contents

G## Must begin with the letter ’G’ for a graphic field.

The G is followed by one or two digits for the graphic number.

Enter the number you assigned to the graphic in the graphic

data stream.

Values: 0-99

ROW One to four digits to define the row location of the graphic on

the supply. This is the distance from the the guide edge zero

point at the bottom of the supply and the bottom of the field.

The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches from the bottom of

the supply. The bottom of the supply is the edge that exits the

printer first.

This value is measured in tenths of millimeters (TOMMS) and

must be less than the maximum length of the supply.

Values: 0-2032

COLUMN One to four digits to define the column location of the field on

the supply. This is the distance from the guide edge zero

point at the left edge of the supply and the left edge of the

field.

4-6 Using Graphics

The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches from the left edge of

the supply.

The unit of measurement is tenths of millimeters. The range

must be less than the maximum width of the supply.

Values: 0-1016 (0 to 4 inches)

The following format data stream uses the graphic data defined

earlier in this chapter. The graphic is inserted 20 mm from the

bottom and 20 mm from the left edge of the supply.

{F11,550,507;LETTER-A p

G1,200,200 p

T0,I,0,400,100,1,1,0,0,B p }

The following batch data stream prints the following tag:

{B11,1,1,1,1,0,C;LETTER-A p

T0;LETTER-A GRAPHIC p }

Example G1,100,40 p

The graphic number 1 is inserted into the format 10 millimeters

from the bottom and 4 millimeters from the left edge of the print

area.

Using Graphics 4-7

Clear Image Buffer

This command clears all or selective graphics from the image

buffer. Once graphic data is sent to the printer, that graphic stays

in memory until a clear image buffer command is sent.

Syntax { C## }

Field Contents

CMust be the letter ‘C’ to identify the clear image buffer

command.

## This optional parameter specifies a particular graphic to be

cleared from memory. It must match the number assigned in

the graphic data stream. If omitted, ALL graphics in memory

will be deleted.

Example {C} Clears all graphics from the printer.

{C4} Clears only graphic number 4.

Compressing the Data Stream

Image data usually consists of a large amount of repetitive data.

Therefore, the printer uses a data compression algorithm for the

graphic message structure. Here’s how it works.

1. Any image is defined as a matrix of cells.

2. Each row of the matrix consists of a series of consecutive ON

(black) or OFF (white) cells. The range is 1-26, represented

by adding either a hex 40 (black) or hex 60 (white). Cells that

print black are represented by the upper case letters ‘A’

through ‘Z’ in the file sent to the printer. Cells that print white

are represented by the lowercase letters ‘a’ through ‘z’ in the

file. Consecutive cells greater than 26 require multiple letters.

Example: 39 consecutive white cells are represented by

the letters ‘zm’ (i.e. ‘z’ produces 26 white

cells followed by ‘m’ or 13 more white cells).

4-8 Using Graphics

3. Each row of the matrix is terminated by the command

inter-record separator, split vertical bar ( p ). However, the last

row of the matrix ends with the TERMINATOR command,

closed brace (}).

4. In addition to compressing consecutive cells, repetitive lines

of compressed row data can be combined. For example, if

twelve rows have the same data (;zm), a number can be

added at the beginning of the line to repeat the line (;12zm).

5. The following example shows how you can compress the

"Letter A" data stream. The long version is on the left. The

compressed version of the same data stream is on the right.

Using Graphics 4-9

Long Version Compressed Version

{G1,0,0,0,0 p {G1,0,0,0,0

p

;dHsHd p ;3dHsHd

p

;dHsHd p ;eGsGe

p

;dHsHd p ;eHqHe

p

;eGsGe p ;fGqGf

p

;eHqHe p ;2fHoHf

p

;fGqGf p ;gGoGg

p

;fHoHf p ;gHmHg

p

;fHoHf p ;3hGMGh

p

;gGoGg p ;2iFMFi

p

;gHmHg p ;3jEMEj

p

;hGMGh p ;2kHgHk

p

;hGMGh p ;lGgGl

p

;hGMGh p ;2lHeHl

p

;iFMFi p ;2mGeGm

p

;iFMFi p ;3nGcGn

p

;jEMEj p ;oFcFo

p

;jEMEj p ;oGaGo

p

;jEMEj p ;pFaFp

p

;kHgHk p ;pFAFp

p

;kHgHk p ;3qEAEq

p

;lGgGl p ;2rDADr

p

;lHeHl p ;3sCACs

p

;lHeHl p ;2tBABt

p

;mGeGm p ;3uCu

p

;mGeGm p ;vAv

p

;nGcGn p }

;nGcGn p

;nGcGn p

;oFcFo p

;oGaGo p

;pFaFp p

;pFAFp p

;qEAEq p

;qEAEq p

;qEAEq p

;rDADr p

;rDADr p

;sCACs p

;sCACs p

;sCACs p

;tBABt p

;tBABt p

;uCu p

;uCu p

;uCu p

;vAv p }

4-10 Using Graphics

QUICK REFERENCES 5

Text Font Sizes

The 9474 fonts are selected in Printer Configuration in offline

mode only. Be sure the fonts selected at the printer are

compatible with the format and batch data you are downloading.

Fonts

The 9474 fonts are proportional (each character takes only as

much space as it needs). Uppercase I is the narrowest character

and results in the most characters per inch. Uppercase M is the

widest and results in the fewest characters per inch. In the

following table uppercase I was used to calculate the most

characters per inch. Uppercase M was used to calculate the

fewest characters per inch.

If you rotate the characters (with the top of the characters toward

the left or right side of the stock) you will get the characters per

inch shown in the table labeled "Rotated Characters."

Quick References 5-1

Parallel Characters

Value/Font Characters/Inch Character

Height (in.)

IM

1/Standard 21.3 12.0 0.10

2/Reduced 64.0 24.0 0.07

3/Bold 19.2 7.1 0.20

5/OCR-A 10.1 10.1 0.10

6/UPC HR1 19.2 13.7 0.10

7/UPC HR2 32.0 19.2 0.08

Rotated Characters

Font Characters/Inch

Standard 10

Reduced 14

Bold 5

OCR-A 10

Character Width (in Dots)

The dots per character is the same for all characters. The

examples below show the difference between parallel characters

and serial characters.

Serial Characters

Parallel Characters

5-2 Quick References

Parallel Character Width (in Dots)

The following table shows the character width in dots. Uppercase

I is the narrowest character (fewest dots per character).

Uppercase M is the widest character (most dots per character).

Value/Font Dots Wide ICG*

IM

1/Standard 7 14 2

2/Reduced 2 7 1

3/Bold 7 24 3

5/OCR-A 16 16 3

6/UPC HR1 12 12 2

7/UPC HR2 10 10 1

*Inter-character gap

Bar Codes

The table below lists bar code selections and values.

Value Dots Wide

1UPC-A

2UPC-E

3 Interleaved 2 of 5

4 Code 39

5 Codabar

6EAN-8

7EAN-13

8 Code 128

9MSI

10 UPC/EAN+2

11 UPC/EAN+5

Quick References 5-3

Bar Code Densities

The samples below show the difference between parallel and

serial bar codes.

Bar Code Densities

Value Bar Code Density (Char/in)

1

Code 39

I 2 of 5

Code 128*

MSI

UPC/EAN

6.63

12.02

8.74 (alphanumeric)

17.48 (numeric only)

6.87

80% standard density

2

Code 39

I 2 of 5

Code 128*

MSI

UPC/EAN

3.32

6.87

5.83 (alphanumeric)

11.66 (numeric only)

5.34

120% standard density

3

Code 39

I 2 of 5

Code 128*

MSI

4.01

4.93

4.37 (alphanumeric)

8.74 (numeric only)

4.01

4Code 39

I 2 of 5

not supported

3.01

5Code 39 6.01

*For more information on Code 128, see Appendix B.

Line Width

Serial Bar Code

Parallel Bar Code

5-4 Quick References

The following table shows the horizontal and vertical line widths.

Line Width

Line

Number Appearance Inches MM

1 .005 .13

2 .010 .26

3 .015 .40

4 .021 .53

5 .026 .66

6 .031 .79

7 .036 .92

8.0421.06

9.0461.16

10 .052 1.32

11 .057 1.44

12 .062 1.57

13 .067 1.70

14 .072 1.82

15 .078 1.98

Quick References 5-5

Special Characters

The following table shows the ASCII code for special characters

available in the standard font.

ASCII Code Symbol Description

~128 Hashed box

~129 Pound or Lira

~130 Yen

~131 Kronna

~132 Deutsche mark

~133 Markka

~134 Schilling

~135 Half sign

~136 Rupee

Code 128 Function Codes

The following table shows the ASCII code for the Code 128

function codes.

ASCII Code Function Code

~134 F1

~129 F2

~128 F3

~132 F4

5-6 Quick References

ASCII Characters

The following table shows the characters available in each font.

HR1 and HR2 are human readable fonts for bar codes.

Character Std Reduced OCRA Bold HR1 HR2

yes yes no no no no

# yes yes nononono

$ yes yes yes yes no no

% yes yes nononono

^ ¢ ¢ no¢nono

& yes yes nononono

* yes no no no no

( yes yes no yes no no

) yes yes no yes no no

[ [ yes nononono

] ] yes nononono

‘(grave) yes yes no no no no

{ yes yes nononono

} yes yes nononono

~yesyes

∫no no no

,(comma) yes yes ¬no no no

" yes yes yes no no no

— yes yes yes yes yes no

= yes yes nononono

_(underscore) yes yes no no no

+yes yes yes no no no

. yes yes yes no no

/ yes yes yes yes no no

’(apostrophe) yes yes no no no

: yes yes no yes no no

; yes yes nononono

yes yes yes no no no

yes yes yes no no no

? yes yes nononono

\yesyes¥¥nono

| no no nononono

0-9 yes yes yes yes yes yes

A-Z yes yes yes yes no HN*

a-z yes yes no no no no

yes = what you enter is what prints.

no = character does not exist in this font; nothing prints.

* Uppercase H and N are the only alphabetic characters that print in the Human Readable

fonts. All other characters are numeric.

Printable Characters by Font

Quick References 5-7

Following are the printable characters (not at actual size). Human

Readable 1 and Human Readable 2 are not available offline.

English/Metric Conversion

Standard

Reduced

Bold

OCR-A

Human

Readable (HR2)

Human Readable

(HR1)

5-8 Quick References

Inches TOMM Inches TOMM Inches TOMM Inches TOMM

- - 0.060 15 0.075 19 0.100 25

0.125 31 0.150 38 0.175 44 0.200 50

0.225 57 0.250 63 0.275 70 0.300 76

0.325 82 0.350 89 0.375 95 0.400 101

0.425 108 0.450 114 0.475 121 0.500 127

0.525 133 0.550 140 0.575 146 0.600 152

0.625 159 0.650 165 0.675 171 0.700 178

0.725 184 0.750 191 0.775 197 0.800 203

0.825 209 0.850 216 0.875 222 0.900 228

0.925 235 0.950 241 0.975 247 1.000 254

1.025 260 1.050 267 1.075 273 1.100 279

1.125 286 1.150 292 1.175 298 1.200 305

1.225 311 1.250 317 1.275 324 1.300 330

1.325 336 1.350 343 1.375 349 1.400 356

1.425 362 1.450 368 1.475 375 1.500 381

1.525 387 1.550 394 1.575 400 1.600 406

1.625 413 1.650 419 1.675 425 1.700 432

1.725 438 1.750 445 1.775 450 1.800 457

1.825 463 1.850 470 1.875 476 1.900 483

1.925 489 1.950 495 1.975 502 2.000 508

2.025 514 2.050 520 2.075 527 2.100 533

2.125 540 2.150 546 2.175 552 2.200 558

2.225 565 2.250 571 2.275 578 2.300 584

2.325 590 2.350 597 2.375 603 2.400 609

2.425 616 2.450 622 2.475 628 2.500 635

2.525 641 2.550 648 2.575 654 2.600 660

2.625 667 2.650 673 2.675 679 2.700 686

2.725 692 2.750 698 2.775 705 2.800 711

2.825 717 2.850 724 2.875 730 2.900 736

2.925 743 2.950 749 2.975 755 3.000 762

3.025 768 3.050 775 3.075 781 3.100 787

3.125 794 3.150 800 3.175 806 3.200 813

3.225 819 3.250 825 3.275 832 3.300 838

3.325 844 3.350 850 3.375 857 3.400 863

3.425 869 3.450 876 3.475 882 3.500 889

Inches TOMM Inches TOMM Inches TOMM Inches TOMM

3.525 895 3.550 902 3.575 908 3.600 914

3.625 921 3.650 927 3.675 933 3.700 939

3.725 946 3.750 952 3.775 959 3.800 965

3.825 971 3.850 978 3.875 984 3.900 990

3.925 996 3.950 1003 3.975 1009 4.000 1016

4.025 1022 4.050 1028 4.075 1035 4.100 1041

4.125 1048 4.150 1054 4.175 1060 4.200 1067

4.225 1073 4.250 1079 4.275 1086 4.300 1092

Quick References 5-9

4.325 1099 4.350 1105 4.375 1111 4.400 1118

4.425 1124 4.450 1130 4.475 1137 4.500 1143

4.525 1149 4.550 1156 4.575 1162 4.600 1168

4.625 1175 4.650 1181 4.675 1187 4.700 1194

4.725 1200 4.750 1206 4.775 1212 4.800 1219

4.825 1225 4.850 1232 4.875 1238 4.900 1245

4.925 1251 4.950 1257 4.975 1263 5.000 1270

5.025 1276 5.050 1283 5.075 1289 5.100 1295

5.125 1302 5.150 1308 5.175 1314 5.200 1321

5.225 1327 5.250 1333 5.275 1340 5.300 1346

5.325 1352 5.350 1359 5.375 1365 5.400 1371

5.425 1378 5.450 1384 5.475 1390 5.500 1397

5.525 1403 5.550 1409 5.575 1416 5.600 1422

5.625 1429 5.650 1435 5.675 1441 5.700 1448

5.725 1454 5.750 1460 5.775 1467 5.800 1473

5.825 1479 5.850 1486 5.875 1492 5.900 1499

5.925 1505 6.950 1511 5.975 1518 6.000 1524

6.025 1530 6.050 1537 6.075 1543 6.100 1549

6.125 1556 6.150 1562 6.175 1568 6.200 1575

6.225 1581 6.250 1588 6.275 1594 6.300 1600

6.325 1606 6.350 1613 6.375 1619 6.400 1626

6.425 1632 6.450 1638 6.475 1644 6.500 1651

TOMM = Tenths of millimeters

5-10 Quick References

ERROR MESSAGES 6

This chapter provides explanations of your printer’s errors. There

are four types of errors:

Ndiagnostic

Nstartup

Noperation

Noffline

If you have problems loading supplies or performing maintenance,

refer to the Operator’s Handbook. If you have a problem you can’t

solve, contact your Monarch service representative.

Before you call...

NSelect Version from the main menu and press e . The

screen displays information about the software installed in

your machine.

NWrite down the information and give it to the service

representative when you call.

Error Messages 6-1

Diagnostic Messages

These messages appear if the printer fails internal testing. If the

printer stops at one of these messages, turn the power off. Then

turn it on again. If the problem persists, call Monarch Service.

Message

Error - Turn power off

Wait 10 seconds, then turn on

Head test failure

RAM read/write failure.

ROM checksum failure.

Startup Messages

The printer displays the following messages when you turn the

power on. Messages are listed in the order they appear.

If the printer stops at one of these messages, turn the power off.

Wait at least 10 seconds, then turn it on again. If the problem

persists, call Monarch Service.

Message Description/Action

Copyright (c) 1988-89

Monarch Marking (Model 94##)

A copyright statement for

the software.

Select Supply Type: B

A)lign, B)lack Mark or D)ie Cut

Press e if you are

using black mark or

aperture supplies.

Type D and press e if

you are using die cut

supplies.

Type A and press e

to calibrate the printer.

6-2 Error Messages

Message Description/Action

Enter new date: 01/01/89

(MM/DD/YY)

Press e to keep the

date shown or to skip the

prompt.

Enter a new date in the

format shown in

parentheses and

press e .

Service Required: XXX

dayton:(800)231-7700 Press ENTER.

Preventative maintenance

message that is displayed

when the counter reaches

three million inches. This

message is displayed

every time the printer is

powered up until the

counter is reset by a

service technician.

Enter new time: 00:01:04

(HH:MM:SS)

Press e to keep the

time shown or to skip the

prompt.

Type new time and press

e . Enter the time in

the format shown in

parentheses and

press e .

"Head test failure"

message appears.

Check for visible print

problems. Continue

printing or call Service.

If the print problem is in a

bar code, call Monarch

Service. You can check

the quality of your bar

code if you have a bar

code verifier.

Error Messages 6-3

Operation Messages

There are two kinds of operation messages:

NError messages

NWarning messages

The messages use the following formats:

ERROR: (function)

Error description text.

WARNING: (function)

Warning message text.

Function indicates the part of the program

where the error originated, such as Batch

Control or Format Entry.

Warning and error messages can be:

Informative

messages

The printer displays an informative message

for several seconds, then resumes operating.

An informative message is usually displayed

for 3 seconds in offline operation and for 10

seconds in online operation.

Or ...

Failure

messages

The printer displays a failure message and

stops operating until the operator presses

e.

6-4 Error Messages

Printer Errors

These messages occur during online or offline operation.

General Warnings

These warning messages are listed in alphabetical order.

Message Description/Action

Demand is not

available.

You tried to change the print mode in Printer

Options. On Demand printing is not available

on a printer with a knife.

Load supply and

press ENTER.

The next batch to print needs a different

supply than what is loaded.

Load the right supply and press e .

Printing suspended

until exit.

While printing, you have selected Batch

Control to check the print queue. Printing will

resume when you exit Batch Control.

Unassigned

memory recovered.

You turned the printer off before it completed

the task in progress. You see this message

when you turn the printer back on.

Check all stored items (formats, batches,

passwords, graphic files, etc.) for missing or

bad data before continuing.

General Errors

These messages are listed in alphabetical order.

Message Description/Action

Access denied. You entered an invalid password.

Error Messages 6-5

Message Description/Action

Cannot cancel. You cannot cancel the batch in its current

state. You can only cancel a batch that has a

status of P (Print) or I (Image). (You can use

delete if you want to remove a batch with any

other status.)

Cannot delete. You cannot delete the batch in its current

state. You can only delete a batch that has a

status of Q (Queue). (You can use cancel if

you want to remove a batch with a P or I

status.)

Duplicate cost

code character.

A character appears more than once in the

Entered Char portion of your cost code.

Type the cost code again, without repeating

any characters.

Field ## bad

font/barcode.

The font or barcode for the field number

shown (##) is not defined properly.

Check the field definition in Format Entry and

correct the field.

Field ## invalid

data.

The data includes characters not available in

the character set specified for this field.

Check the field definition in Format Entry for

the valid font.

Field ## graphic

missing.

You have requested a graphic that is not

available; the file has not been downloaded

from the host.

Download the graphic file and request the

graphic again or request another graphic.

6-6 Error Messages

Message Description/Action

Field ## extends

off tag.

The field you are defining does not fit on the

tag.

Change the field location, rotation, or font

size so it fits on the tag.

Head open. The ribbon is improperly positioned.

Reposition the cassette or ribbon loading

device so it is firmly seated. Close the print

head.

Hot head. The print head is too hot to operate. This is

normally due to continual printing of formats

with a lot of printed data (more than 30% of

the tag contains print).

Let the printer cool before continuing.

Insufficient

memory.

There is not enough memory available for the

item you are trying to store.

Delete formats or batches to free memory.

Knife jam. The knife is jammed or blocked, or you are

attempting to cut supply that is smaller than

1.2 inches.

Clear the knife, then try to print again. If

supply is too small, press 1 to override the

message and load the correct supply before

attempting to print.

Merge assimilation

error.

You have made an error in defining a merge

field.

Enter the merge field again to correct it.

No batches to

examine.

Batch Control is available only when there are

batches in the print queue.

Error Messages 6-7

Message Description/Action

No formats

available to print.

You cannot enter Data Entry mode until a

format is defined.

Ribbon problem. The ribbon cassette is depleted or jammed.

The ribbon may be broken. Check the ribbon

and reload or replace it if necessary.

Stacker Fault. The stacker is full or the stacker track is

jammed. Empty the stacker before trying to

print again.

Supply problem. There is a problem with the feed mechanism.

Reload the supply if necessary.

The 9474 will also display this

message if the backing paper takup reel is

full, the printer is out of stock, or the stock is

the incorrect size for the format that was

loaded.

Communication Errors

The following errors are caused by communication problems in

the printer.

Message Description/Action

All comm

channels busy.

Software Error. Call Monarch Service.

Invalid comm

channel.

Software Error. Call Monarch Service.

Invalid file type. Software Error. Call Monarch Service.

Receive buffer full. The host did not stop transmission after it

received an XOFF character or after DTR

went inactive. Check communication setup at

the host.

6-8 Error Messages

Message Description/Action

Receive framing

error.

Host communication protocol doesn’t match

machine. Check communication setup at the

host.

Receive overrun

error.

Host communication protocol doesn’t match

machine. Check communication setup at the

host.

Receive parity

error.

Host communication protocol doesn’t match

machine. Check communication setup at the

host.

Offline Messages

Data Entry or Test Print Errors

The following errors occur during data entry or test printing. The

messages are listed in alphabetical order.

Message Description/Action

CD verify failed. You entered an incorrect check digit in a field

that requires a check digit.

Improper field

length.

You are trying to enter an invalid number of

characters in a Fixed or Optional/Fixed field.

A Fixed field requires exactly the number of

characters shown by the dashes on the

screen. An Optional/Fixed field requires

either the exact number of characters shown

by the dashes on the screen, or 0 characters.

Enter the correct number of characters for the

field.

Error Messages 6-9

Message Description/Action

Invalid cost code

character(s).

You are trying to enter characters in a cost

code field (in Data Entry) that are not defined

in the cost code. Check your data to be sure

it is correct, then enter the data again.

Machine busy. You are trying to print a test tag, but the print

queue is not empty. The print queue must be

empty to perform a test print. Wait until all

batches have printed, then try again to print

the test tag.

Must be all digits. You are trying to enter non-numeric

characters in a UPC, I 2 of 5, EAN, or MSI

bar code field. You can only enter numeric

data for these fields. Check your data to be

sure it is correct, then enter the data again.

Must be an even

# of characters.

You are trying to enter an odd number of

characters for an I 2 of 5 bar code field.

Check your bar code data to be sure it is

correct, then enter the data again.

No fields defined. You are trying to print a test tag, but you have

no fields defined. You must define at least

one field before you can test a format.

Price CD verify

failed.

You entered incorrect data in a UPC or EAN

bar code field. Check your data to be sure it

is correct, then enter the data again.

Typing mismatch. You are trying to enter data for a Verify field

(you must enter the same data twice), but

your entries do not match. Check your data

to be sure it is correct, then enter the data

again.

6-10 Error Messages

Format Entry Errors

Message Description/Action

CD scheme not

defined.

You selected a check digit scheme number in

Format Entry that is not defined. Define the

check digit scheme in Printer Configuration.

Cannot save

format.

You have not completed any field definitions

for this format.

Format in use.

Cannot delete.

You are trying to delete a format used by a

batch that is printing or waiting to print. Be

sure you are trying to delete the right format.

Wait until the batch that uses the format has

printed, then delete the format.

Format in use.

Cannot modify.

You are trying to modify a format used by a

batch that is printing or waiting to print. Be

sure you are trying to modify the right format.

Wait until the batch that uses the format has

printed, then modify the format.

I 2 of 5 requires

even # of digits

You are trying to define the field length for an

I 2 of 5 barcode as an odd number. Define

the field length as an even number of

characters.

Improper field

length.

You are trying to define a field length as

greater than 30 characters or as 0 characters.

All fields must be 1-30 characters (except

merge fields, which may not exceed 26

characters). Re-define the field length

correctly.

Incompatible field

for merge.

You tried to use a line field or a graphic field

in a merged field. You cannot use these field

types as part of a merged field.

Error Messages 6-11

Message Description/Action

Incompatible field

for sub.

You tried to use a line field or a graphic field

in a subfield. You cannot use these field

types as part of a subfield.

Invalid barcode

height.

You tried to define a bar code height as less

than 0.20 inch. Bar codes must be at least

0.20 inch (5.08 mm or 38 dots) in height.

Invalid field

reference.

You are trying to define a subfield or a

merged field. You have chosen a link with a

field number greater than the subfield or

merged field. Choose a link with a field

number less than the merged field.

Invalid

magnification

value.

You entered a font magnification value that is

outside the valid range of 1-10.

Invalid supply

length

The specified supply length is longer or

shorter than the printer can print.

Invalid supply

width.

The specified supply width is wider or

narrower than the printer can print.

Invalid thickness

value.

You are defining a line field. You entered a

value for the line width that is outside the

valid range of 1-15.

Merge field limit

is 26 chars.

You are trying to define a merged field with a

field length of more than 26 characters.

Scheme # uses

# marked chars.

You are defining a check digit field and you

have selected a check digit scheme (#). The

number of characters you marked is wrong for

the scheme you chose. Be sure you have

selected the right check digit scheme, then

mark the characters again.

6-12 Error Messages

Message Description/Action

Scheme # uses

# CD(s).

You are defining a check digit field and you

have selected a check digit scheme (#). The

number of characters you marked is wrong for

the scheme you chose. Be sure you have

selected the right check digit scheme, then

mark the check digits again.

Stop location

out of range.

You are defining a line field, and have given a

stop location that is off the tag. Check your

format and enter the correct stop location.

Sub/merge

requires this field.

You are trying to delete a field that is part of a

subfield or a merged field. Be sure you are

trying to delete the right field. Remove the

field you want to delete from the subfield or

merged field. Then try to delete the field

again.

Vertical/Horizontal

out of range.

You entered a field location in Format Entry

that is outside the dimensions of the format.

Check the location of the field you are

defining to be sure it fits on the tag, then

enter the location again.

Online Messages

The following messages occur during online communication when

the transmitted data contains errors. To recover from the error,

correct the data, then re-transmit it.

Online Warnings

Message Description/Action

Column > format

width.

The column definition for a field location is

greater than the format width definition.

Error Messages 6-13

Message Description/Action

Column > head

width.

The column definition for a field location is

greater than the width of the printhead.

Data string

too long.

The data string length exceeds 30 characters.

Format for batch

not found.

The format for the batch being sent has not

been downloaded.

Graphic not found. The graphic specified for a field has not been

downloaded.

Identifier

out-of-range.

The format, batch, line, or graphic identifiers

are out of range.

Invalid barcode

field.

Insufficient or incorrect data was used to

create a barcode field.

Invalid command. An unknown command was received.

Invalid cut value. The cut value is not 0 or 1.

Invalid data field. A field specified to receive data does not

exist on the format. The batch is not created.

Invalid incr/decr

value.

The increment/decrement value is outside

the valid range of 0-999.

Invalid label length. The specified supply length is longer or

shorter than the printer can print.

Invalid label width The specified supply width is wider or

narrower than the printer can print.

Invalid number of

parts value.

The number of parts value is outside the valid

range of 1-5.

6-14 Error Messages

Message Description/Action

Invalid orientation

value.

The line or character orientation value is not

0 or 1.

Invalid separator

value.

The batch separator value is outside the valid

range of 0-3.

Invalid text field. Insufficient or incorrect data was used to

create a text field.

Invalid thickness

value.

The line thickness value is outside the valid

range of 1-15.

Name descriptor

too long.

The format or batch name is longer than 8

characters.

No field to create

format.

The format you are sending contains no fields.

Qnty/Mult

out-of-range.

The print quantity or print multiple is outside

the valid range of 1-4 digits.

Row > format

length.

The row definition for a field location is

greater than the format length.

Row > stock

length.

The row definition for a field location is

greater than the supply length.

Stop location

out-of-range.

The stop location for a line field is off the tag

or the stop location is the same as the start

location.

Error Messages 6-15

Online Communication Errors

These errors are caused by communication problems between the

host computer and the printer during online operation.

Message Description/Action

All comm

channels busy.

Software Error. Call Monarch Service.

Invalid comm

channel.

Software Error. Call Monarch Service.

Invalid file type. Software Error. Call Monarch Service.

Receive buffer full. The host did not stop transmission after it

received an XOFF character or after DTR

went inactive. Check communication setup at

the host.

Receive framing

error.

Host communication protocol doesn’t match

machine. Check communication setup at the

host.

Receive overrun

error.

Host communication protocol doesn’t match

machine. Check communication setup at the

host.

Receive parity

error.

Host communication protocol doesn’t match

machine. Check communication setup at the

host.

Waiting for

command

terminator. Press

F1 to abort

download.

No data is being received from the host.

Check to see if the host or the

communications line is down. Press 1 to

discontinue communications (the batch or

format data will be lost and must be

retransmitted).

6-16 Error Messages

SAMPLE DATA STREAMS A

This appendix contains sample data streams for formats, batches,

and graphics. The illustrations show the tags that are printed from

these data streams.

Sample Data Streams A-1

Formats, Text and Bar Code Fields

This example shows a standard format with three text and one bar

code field.

Sample Format Data Stream

{F1,0550,0507;ONLINE p

T00,I,000,0475,0050,1,1,0,0,B p

T01,I,000,0406,0050,1,1,0,0,B p

T02,I,000,0017,0253,1,1,0,0,B p

B00,I,000,0124,0093,1,1,0,0177,1 p }

Sample Batch Data Stream

{B1,2,3,1,1,0,c;BATCH1 p

T00;TEST FORMAT 1 p

T01;S/N 97464B p

T02;$12.34 p

B00;0012345678905 p }

A-2 Sample Data Streams

Line Fields

This example shows how to use line fields to create a box.

Sample Format Data Stream

{F2,0550,0507;BOX p

L0,50,50,0,304,10 p

L1,50,50,1,304,10 p

L2,50,304,0,304,10 p

L4,304,50,1,316,10 p }

Sample Batch Data Stream

{B2,1,0,1,1,1,C;BOXTEST p }

Sample Data Streams A-3

Graphic Images

This Graphic data stream precedes the format that uses it.

Sample Graphic Data

Stream

{G3,0,0,0,0 p

;dHsHd p

;dHsHd p

;dHsHd p

;eGsGe p

;eHqHe p

;fGqGf p

;fHoHf p

;fHoHf p

;gGoGg p

;gHmHg p

;hGMGh p

;hGMGh p

;hGMGh p

;iFMFi p

;iFMFi p

;jEMEj p

;jEMEj p

;jEMEj p

;kHgHk p

;kHgHk p

;lGgGl p

;lHeHl p

;lHeHl p

;mGeGm p

;mGeGm p

;nGcGn p

;nGcGn p

;nGcGn p

;oFcFo p

;oGaGo p

;pFaFp p

;pFAFp p

;qEAEq p

;qEAEq p

;qEAEq p

;rDADr p

;rDADr p

;sCACs p

;sCACs p

;sCACs p

;tBABt p

A-4 Sample Data Streams

Sample Format Data Stream

{F3,0550,0507;GRAPHIC p

T0,I,0,400,100,1,1,0,0,B p

G3,200,200 p }

Sample Batch Data Stream

{B3,1,1,1,1,0,1;LETTER-A p

T0;LETTER A GRAPHIC p }

Sample Data Streams A-5

Compressed Graphic Data

This example shows the same graphic data stream in compressed

format.

Sample Compressed Graphic Data Stream

{G3,0,0,0,0 p

;3dHsHd p

;eGsGe p

;eHqHe p

;fGqGf p

;2fHoHf p

;gGoGg p

;gHmHg p

;3hGMGh p

;2iFMFi p

;3jEMEj p

;2kHgHk p

;lGgGl p

;2lHeHl p

;2mGeGm p

;3nGcGn p

;oFcFo p

;oGaGo p

;pFaFp p

;pFAFp p

;3qEAEq p

;2rDADr p

;3sCACs p

;2tBABt p

;3uCu p

;vAv p }

Sample Format Data Stream

{F3,0550,0507;GRAPHIC p

T0,I,0,400,100,1,1,0,0,B p

G3,200,200 p }

Sample Batch Data Stream

{B3,1,1,1,1,0,1;LETTER-A p

T0;LETTER A GRAPHIC p }

A-6 Sample Data Streams

CODE 128 INFORMATION B

The 128 bar code is divided into 3 character sets (Code A, Code

B, and Code C). Depending on the character set used, the same

bar pattern can be one of three characters. Table 1, at the end of

this appendix, lists the characters in each character set.

Code A contains upper case letters (A-Z), special

characters, and control characters. Code A

does not have lower case letters.

Code B contains upper and lower case alphanumeric

characters and special characters. Code B

does not have control characters.

Code C character set contains pairs of numbers. In

code C, each bar pattern represents a pair of

numbers, ranging from 00 to 99.

When the data contains at least four numbers in a row, 128

switches to code C, then prints one bar pattern for each pair of

numbers. This doubles the numeric data per inch.

Therefore, it may be better to pad numeric data with a zero if it

has an odd number of characters. The bar codes below show the

difference between an odd number of numeric characters and an

even number of numeric characters. Do this only if your system

can ignore leading zeros.

Bar Code 1

Data = 1234567

Bar Code 2

Data = 01234567

Code 128 Information B-1

Bar Code 2 is not as wide as Bar Code 1 because all of its

characters are printed with bar symbols from code C.

Only 6 of Bar Code 1’s characters are printed in code C. The

other character has to be printed in code B. Whenever 128

switches from one character set to another, it adds bar patterns

that tell a scanner to switch character sets. These extra bar

patterns cause wider bar codes.

Bar Code Width

The width of a Code 128 bar code is determined this way:

NIf there are four or more numbers in a row, an even number of

them print in code C.

NIf there are four or more numbers in a row with an odd quantity

(e.g., 7 numbers in a row), one of them prints in code B.

NAll other alphanumeric characters are printed in code B.

The printer determines which character set to use based on the

data. No external control of character set selection is required.

For a given quantity of data, the widest bar code will be the one

that switches character set most often. Suppose your data has

14 characters (8 numeric + 6 alphabetic).

The bar code for data arranged like this:

Bar code 1

Data = 1234ABC5678DEF

is wider than data

arranged like this:

Bar code 2

Data = 12345678ABCDEF

B-2 Code 128 Information

Here’s why bar code 1 is wider:

NThe 8 numbers in each example appear in groups of four or

more, and they appear in even-numbered quantities,

therefore, all 8 numbers will use code C.

NThe 6 alphabetic characters will use code B.

Look at the example again. This time, data is underlined when

the character set changes.

The bar code for data arranged like this:

Bar code 1

Data = 1234ABC5678DEF

is wider than data arranged

like this:

Bar code 2

Data = 12345678ABCDEF

This shows that bar code width varies depending on how data is

arranged. Separating numeric and alphabetic characters reduces

the number of character set changes. Fewer character set

changes reduce bar code width.

Code 128 Information B-3

The table below shows the characters per inch for Code 128. The

table shows the values for numeric data, and for alphanumeric

data at each of the three densities available on the printer. The

characters per inch for your bar code will be somewhere between

these two values, depending on the mixture of numeric and

alphabetic characters. For a precise calculation of the width of

your bar code, refer to the specification for the Code 128 bar

code.

Density Numeric Data Alpha-numeric Data

1 17.48 8.74

2 11.66 5.83

3 8.74 4.37

Quiet Zone

When you estimate the area you’ll need for the bar code,

remember to add the length of the quiet zone. The quiet zone is

an area of white space required at the beginning and end of each

bar code. The minimum size of the quiet zone is 0.10, or 10

times the width of the narrowest bar code element, whichever is

greater. The tables below show the minimum size of the quiet

zone at each density. For wand scanning, the quiet zone should

be 0.25 to 0.35 inch.

Density Quiet Zone

10.10 inch

20.15 inch

30.20 inch

B-4 Code 128 Information

Function Codes

Code 128 has four function codes (f1-f4). These special

characters can be entered as:

Nfixed characters when defining a code 128 field (Format Entry)

Ndata when printing a batch (Data Entry).

Enter the special 128 function codes as follows:

to select this

Press these keys function code

F2 then 1 f1

F2 then 2 f2

F2 then 3 f3

F2 then 4 f4

The function code is displayed as F1, F2, F3, or F4.

Code 128 Information B-5

128 Bar Code Character Sets

Any of the following characters can be used in online

communication with the printer by sending the character’s

standard decimal value. To enter specific characters from the

keyboard, refer to "Using the Keyboard" in Chapter 4 of the

Operator’s Handbook.

Values listed on the chart are for reference only; they are not

decimal values.

Code Code Code Bar Pattern

ValueABCBSBSBS

0 S SP 00 212222

1 ! ! 01 222122

2 " " 02 222221

3 # # 03 121223

4 $ $ 04 121322

5 % % 05 131222

6 & & 06 122213

7 ’ ’ 07 122312

8 ( ( 08 132212

9 ) ) 09 221213

10 * * 10 221312

11 + + 11 231213

12 , , 12 112232

13 - - 13 122132

14 . . 14 122231

15 / / 15 113222

16 0 0 16 123122

17 1 1 17 123221

18 2 2 18 223211

19 3 3 19 221132

20 4 4 20 221231

21 5 5 21 213212

22 6 6 22 223112

B-6 Code 128 Information

Code Code Code Bar Pattern

ValueABCBSBSBS

23 7 7 23 312131

24 8 8 24 311222

25 9 9 25 321122

26 : : 26 321221

27 ; ; 27 312212

28 28 322112

29 = = 29 322211

30 30 212123

31 ? ? 31 212321

32 @ @ 32 232121

33 A A 33 111323

34 B B 34 131123

35 C C 35 131321

36 D D 36 112313

37 E E 37 132113

38 F F 38 132311

39 G G 39 211313

40 H H 40 231113

41 I I 41 231311

42 J J 42 112133

43 K K 43 112331

44 L L 44 132131

45 M M 45 113123

46 N N 46 113321

47 O O 47 133121

48 P P 48 313121

49 Q Q 49 211331

50 R R 50 231131

51 S S 51 213113

52 T T 52 213311

53 U U 53 213131

54 V V 54 311123

55 W W 55 311321

56 X X 56 331121

57 Y Y 57 312113

58 Z Z 58 312311

59 [ [ 59 332111

60 \ \ 60 314111

61 ] ] 61 221411

62 ^ ^ 62 431111

63 _ _ 63 111224

64 NUL ’ 64 11142

65 SOH a 65 121124

66 STX b 66 121421

Code 128 Information B-7

Code Code Code Bar Pattern

ValueABCBSBSBS

67 ETX c 67 141122

68 EOT d 68 141221

69 ENQ e 69 112214

70 ACK f 70 112412

71 BEL g 71 122114

72 BS h 72 122411

73 HT i 73 142112

74 LF j 74 142211

75 VT k 75 241211

76 FF l 76 221114

77 CR m 77 413111

78 SO n 78 241112

79 SI o 79 134111

80 DLE p 80 111242

81 DC1 q 81 121142

82 DC2 r 82 121241

83 DC3 s 83 114212

84 DC4 t 84 124112

85 NAK u 85 124211

86 SYN v 86 411212

87 ETB w 87 421112

88 CAN x 88 421211

89 EM y 89 212141

90 SUB z 90 214121

91 ESC { 91 412121

92 FS | 92 111143

93 GS } 93 111341

94 RS ~ 94 131141

95 US DEL 95 114113

96 FNC3 FNC3 96 114311

97 FNC2 FNC2 97 111113

98 SHIFT SHIFT 98 411311

99 CODE CCODE C99 113141

100 CODE BFNC4 CODE B 114131

101 FNC 4 CODE ACODE A 311141

102 FNC1 FNC1 FNC1 411131

BSBSBSB

STOP 2331112

B-8 Code 128 Information

Index

A

ASCII codes 5-6 - 5-7

B

bar code

densities 5-3 - 5-4

extensions 3-15

human readable characters 3-14

restrictions 3-5, 3-15

supported codes 5-3

bar code field record 3-12 - 3-13

example 3-14

bar code field syntax 3-14

bar code record syntax 3-12 - 3-13

batch

multiple batch per format 3-22

print data 3-21

sending data 3-6

using previously defined data 3-22

batch data 1-2, 3-19

batch data syntax 3-21

batch header record 3-19 - 3-20

example 3-21

batch header syntax 3-19 - 3-21

batch separator syntax 3-24

batch separators 3-24

baud rate 2-1

boxes, creating with lines 3-18

buffer, input 2-1

C

cable interface 2-5

character codes 5-6 - 5-7

characters,flow control 2-2

code 128

function codes 3-15

restrictions 3-15

code 128, function codes 5-6 - 5-7

coding chart, graphics 4-3

command characters3-4

commands 3-4

communication requirements 2-1

communication values, setting 2-3 - 2-4

Configuration Options menu 2-3 - 2-4

consecutive batches 3-22

creating data streams 3-1 - 3-2

D

data bits 2-1

data errors 3-3

data flow control 2-2

data stream

programming conventions3-4

data streams

creating 3-1

transmitting 3-1 - 3-2

data types 1-2

default settings 2-1

density, bar code 5-3 - 5-4

dot patterns 4-1 - 4-5

DTR 2-2

E

entering print data 3-21

error

messages 6-1

extended bar codes 3-15

F

flow control 2-1 - 2-2

font sizes 5-1 - 5-3

Index-1

Font, printable characters 5-8

format

ID numbers 3-5

using graphics 4-6

format data 1-2

format header record3-8

format syntax 3-8

function codes 5-6 - 5-7

function codes, code 128 3-15

G

graphic data record

example 4-5, 4-7

syntax checklist 4-7

graphic data syntax 4-5, 4-7

graphics

clearing the image buffer 4-8

coding chart 4-3

compressing the data stream 4-8

creating the image 4-1 - 4-3

data stream 4-3

order of transm ission 4-1

placing in a format 4-6

steps to printing 4-1

syntax 4-4 - 4-6

H

Host port configuration 2-3 - 2-4

human readable characters,bar

codes 3-14

I

input buffer 2-1

input characteristics 2-1

international pricing symbols 3-4

introduction 1-1

L

line

thickness 5-5

line field record 3-16 - 3-18

example 3-18

line field syntax 3-18

line record syntax 3-16 - 3-18

line width

9420/9440 5-5

9425 5-5

9445 5-5

9474 5-5

lines

creating boxes 3-18

examples 3-18

M

messages

diagnostic 6-2

error 6-1

startup 6-2

monetary symbols 3-4

multiple batches per format 3-22

O

offline formats 1-2

Online

Host port configuration 2-3 - 2-4

online bar codes

special restrictions 3-14

online formats 1-2

order of transmission 3-5

overlapping fields 3-5

P

parity 2-1

pricing symbols 3-4

Printable characters, font 5-8

programming conventions 3-4

R

Index-2

restrictions

bar codes 3-5, 3-15

RS-232 interface 2-5

S

sending batch data 3-6

sending data

order 3-5

setting communication values 2-3 - 2-4

special characters 5-6 - 5-7

special restrictions

online bar codes 3-14

stop bits 2-1

symbols 5-6 - 5-7

syntax

bar code field 3-12 - 3-14

batch data 3-21

batch header 3-19 - 3-21

batch separator 3-24

format 3-8

format header 3-9

graphic data 4-5, 4-7

graphics 4-4 - 4-6, 4-8

line field 3-16 - 3-18

text field 3-9 - 3-11

T

text field record 3-9 - 3-11

example 3-11

text field syntax 3-11

text fonts

character width 5-2

parallel character widths 5-3

sizes 5-1

text record syntax 3-9 - 3-11

transmission errors 3-3

transmitting data streams 3-1 - 3-2

types of data 1-2

U

using graphics 4-1, 4-3 - 4-6, 4-8

using previously defined data 3-22

X

Xon/Xoff 2-2

Index-3

Index-4