Zebra Technologies R2844Z Thermal Printer with RFID User Manual Pt 3

Zebra Technologies Corporation Thermal Printer with RFID Users Manual Pt 3

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Users Manual Pt 3

Operation & Options

This section helps you get the most from your printer.

You must use programming to control many of the printer’s functions. A

few examples:

■The

~JL

command controls label length.

■The

^XA^MTD^XZ

command changes the printing mode to direct

thermal; the

^XA^MTT^XZ

command changes the printing mode to

thermal transfer.

■The

^XA^JUS^XZ

command saves the new settings to flash memory.

For detailed information about creating labels using ZPL II, refer to the ZPL

II Programming Guide or visit our web site at www.zebra.com.

To improve print quality, changing both print speed and density may be

required to achieve the desired results. Your application’s printer driver

provides control of the speed and heat (density).

Thermal Printing

The print head becomes hot while printing. To protect from damaging the

print head and risk of personal injury, avoid touching the print head. Use

only the cleaning pen to perform maintenance.

The discharge of electrostatic energy that accumulates on the surface of the

human body or other surfaces can damage or destroy the print head or

electronic components used in this device. You must observe static-safe

procedures when working with the print head or the electronic components

under the top cover.

You must use the correct media for the type of printing you require. When

printing without a ribbon, you must use direct thermal media. When using

ribbon, you must use thermal transfer media. The printer’s ribbon sensor

detects motion of the supply spindle.

980476-001A 21

Replacing Supplies

If labels or ribbon run out while printing, leave the printer power on while

reloading (data loss results if you turn off the printer). After you load a new

label or ribbon roll, press the Feed button to restart .

Always use high quality, approved labels, tags and ribbons. If adhesive

backed labels are used that don’t lay flat on the backing liner, the exposed

edges may stick to the label guides and rollers inside the printer, causing the

label to peel off from the liner and jam the printer. Permanent damage to the

print head may result if a non-approved ribbon is used as it may be wound

incorrectly for the printer or contain chemicals corrosive to the print head.

Approved supplies can be ordered from your dealer.

Adding a New Transfer Ribbon

If ribbon runs out in the middle of a print job, the indicator lights red and

the printer waits for you to add a fresh roll.

1. Keep the power on as you change ribbon.

2. Open the top cover, then cut the used ribbon so you can remove the

cores.

3. Load a new ribbon roll. If necessary, review the Ribbon Loading steps.

4. Close the top cover.

5. Press the Feed button to restart printing.

Replacing a Partially Used Transfer Ribbon

To remove used transfer ribbon, perform the following steps.

1. Cut the ribbon from the take-up roll.

2. Remove the take-up roll and discard used ribbon.

3. Remove the supply roll and tape the end of any fresh ribbon to prevent

it from unwrapping.

When reinstalling a partially used supply roll, tape the cut end onto the

empty take-up roll.

22 980476-001A

Printing in Peel-Mode

The optional dispenser allows you

to print in “peel-mode” where the

label backing follows a different path and

the labels are presented one at a time for

subsequent placement.

Before using peel-mode, you must send

the programming commands

^XA ^MMP ^XZ

^XA ^JUS ^XZ

to the printer. Refer to your ZPL II

Programmer’s Manual.

1. Remove several labels from the

backing material.

2. Open the top cover.

3. Open the dispenser door.

4. Switch on the label-taken sensor.

5. Insert the backing in front of the peel

bar and behind the peel roller.

6. Close the dispenser door.

7. Close the top cover.

8. Press the Feed button to advance the

label.

During the print job, the printer will peel

off the backing and present a single label.

Take the label from the printer so it will

print the next label.

980476-001A 23

ON OFF

MOVIE

Printing on Fan-Fold Media

Printing on fan-fold media requires you to

set both the media hangers and the media

guides in position.

1. Open the top cover.

2. With a sample of your media, adjust

the media hangers to the width of the

media. The hangers should just touch,

but not restrict, the edges of the

media.

3. Tighten the screw using a small

Phillips driver #1.

4. With a sample of your media, adjust

the guides to the width of the media.

The guides should just touch, but not

restrict, the edges of the media.

5. Insert the media through the slot at the

rear of the printer.

6. Run the media between the hangers

and guides.

7. Close the top cover.

24 980476-001A

Lock-down

Screw

RFID Guidelines

The Zebra R2844-Z Smart Label Printer and Encoder serves as dynamic

tool for both printing and programming smart labels and tags. These labels

and tags are usually made from two components, media and an RFID (radio

frequency identification) transponder.

■The media is comprised of synthetic- or paper-based material that can be

printed upon using direct thermal or thermal transfer printing techniques.

The media is typically made from the same materials and adhesives used

by a standard barcode printer.

■The transponder is usually comprised of an antenna coil that is bonded

to an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The IC contains the drivers, coders,

decoders and memory. At a minimum, the transponder has memory that

can be read, while the vast majority also have memory that can be

programmed by the user as well.

980476-001A 25

Media

Supply

Media Transponder

Outline of

transponder

(

shape varies

by manufacturer

)

Liner

Media Transponder

The communication between the RFID tag and the printer is established

when the transponder lines up with the printer’s antenna.

Note • The transponder position, prior to encode/decode, is critical. The optimal

transponder position varies with antenna coil size and type of RFID IC used. It is

important to use media and tags that have been specifically designed for use in this

printer. Failure to do so may result in the inability to read or program the embedded

RFID tags.

Printing and programming of smart labels is handled through the use of

Zebra's printer programming language, ZPL. The printer segments the

received ZPL's RFID-specific and printing-related commands. The printer

will execute the RFID commands first, followed by those for printing

barcodes and text. Each transponder has blocks of addressable memory that

are written to and read from through ZPL commands. Many transponders

also contain a pre-programmed unique ID/serial number. The ZPL

commands also provide for exception handling, such as setting the number

of read/write retries before declaring the transponder defective.

26 980476-001A

Media

Supply

Ribbon

Supply

Ribbon

Take-up

Transponders

imbedded

in media

Antenna

Reader/Writer

Board

Bracket

If an RFID tag is declared defective (fails to program correctly or cannot be

detected) the printer ejects it and prints the word "void" across the entire

label (see samples on page 45). If problems persist, this process—using the

same data and format—will continue from one to ten tags; you set the

retries using a parameter in the RFID Setup command (^RS). After the last

tag is ejected the printer removes the customer format from the print queue,

and proceeds with the next format (if one exists in the buffer).

Print Quality Over the Transponder

There is a raised area on each label immediately around the location of the

IC chip where the printer may print with low quality.

Design your printed label around the location of the chip in the type of

approved smart label you select. For best results, do not print barcodes

directly over the transponder. If in doubt, check the print quality and adjust

the label format, or obtain smart labels with an alternate transponder

placement.

980476-001A 27

Top View

Profile

Supported Transponders

Use transponders specifically approved for use in the R2844-Z printer.

Failure to do so may result in the inability to read or write to imbedded

RFID tags. For a current list of approved transponders, contact Zebra

Technologies Corporation or visit the website (http://www.rfid.zebra.com).

As new transponders become commercially available, Zebra will evaluate

them for compatibility with the R2844-Z printer.

Important • Function of an encoded smart label in an application depends on factors

such as where the label is placed on an item (such as a carton or a pallet) as well as

on the contents of the items (such as metals or liquids). Contact the supplier of your

external RFID reader for assistance with these types of issues. Zebra can only

support issues regarding printing and encoding smart labels.

28 980476-001A

Transmission and Identification Standards

ISO-15693

ISO-15693 is an international standard for 13.56 MHz RFID devices. As

this is a public standard, tags and integrated circuits may be produced by a

wide variety of manufacturers. The current standard stipulates that

manufacturers may configure memory in various ways (up to 256 blocks

comprising a block size up to 256 bits (32 bytes)). The standard also

stipulates that a manufacturer may, or may not, use the recommended

methods of reading and writing to the tag as stipulated in the standard. For

these reasons, the printer may not be compatible with every manufacturer's

ISO-15693 transponders. Contact your technical support representative for

the latest list of supported ISO-15693 transponders.

For more information, see the International Standards Organization web

site at:

http://www.iso.org

Electronic Product Code™ (EPC™)

The Electronic Product Code™ (EPC™) is a product numbering standard

that can be used to identify a variety of items using RFID technology. The

EPC format contains 12-bytes (96-bits) of data defining the manufacturer,

product, and serial number. The EPC can link to an online database,

providing a secure way of sharing product-specific information along the

supply chain.

For more information, see the EPCglobal web site at:

http://www.epcglobalinc.org

980476-001A 29

Manufacturers and Brands

In your printer, you can use these brands of transponders:

■Texas Instruments® Tag-it™

■Philips® I•Code

■Inside Technologies Picotag® 2K

■Infineon Technologies® my-d vicinity

30 980476-001A

Texas Instruments® Tag-it™ Transponders

Texas Instruments transponders are high frequency (13.56MHz) RFID

devices. Each transponder has 256 bits of memory. Data is segmented into

4-byte (32-bit) blocks that are uniquely addressable, for a total of 8 blocks.

Each memory block is lockable using the write protect function during the

writing process.

Texas Instruments Tag-it™ Blocks

Block # Description Bytes

0 User Data

32 User

1 User Data

2 User Data

3 User Data

4 User Data

5 User Data

6 User Data

7 User Data

Texas Instruments ISO15693

Block Byte number within a block

0-7 8-15 16-23 24-31

User Data

(2048 bits)

...

1Unique Identifier Number

(64 bits)

Data

Storage

Format

Identifier Application Configuration

Application

Family

Identifier

IC Version Factory Programmed

980476-001A 31

Philips® I•Code Transponders

Philips I•Code transponders are high frequency (13.56MHz) RFID devices.

Each transponder has 512 bits of memory. Data is segmented into 4 byte

(32 bit) blocks that are uniquely addressable for a total of 16 blocks. Each

memory block is lockable using the write protect function during the

writing process. The first two blocks of data (block 0 and 1) are

pre-programmed, non-changeable, and are used for storage of a unique 64

bit serial number. The next two blocks (blocks 2 and 3) are used for storage

of configuration information; block 4 is used for family or application

identification and blocks 5 to 15 are free for user application use.

If you are using these transponders for your own use, and don’t require

universal special function or family codes, then you can program blocks 3

through 15.

Philips I•Code Blocks

Block # Description Bytes

0 Serial Number (write protected)

1 Serial Number (write protected)

2 Write Protect Block (Caution)

3 Special Function Block 8 Optional

4 Family Code

5 User Data

40 User

6 User Data

7 User Data

8 User Data

9 User Data

10 User Data

11 User Data

12 User Data

13 User Data

14 User Data

15 User Data

Note • The bits in block 2 determine the write access conditions for itself and each of

the remaining blocks. You can leave blocks 2 through 15 open or you can

write-protect them. Write-protected blocks (included block 2) can never be written to

from the moment they are locked

32 980476-001A

Philips I•Code ISO15693

Block Byte number within a block

012 3

-4 Unique

Identifier 0

Unique

Identifier 1

Unique

Identifier 2

Unique

Identifier 3

-3 Unique

Identifier 4

Unique

Identifier 5

Unique

Identifier 6

Unique

Identifier 7

-2 Internally

Used

Electronic

Article

Surveillance

Application

Family

Identifier

Data Storage

Format

Identifier

-1 Write Access Conditions

00 00 00 00

User Data

...

980476-001A 33

Inside Technologies Picotag® Transponders

Inside Technologies Picotag® transponders are high frequency (13.56MHz)

RFID devices. Each transponder has 2048 bits of memory. Data is

segmented into 8 byte (64 bit) blocks that are uniquely addressable for a

total of 31 blocks. Blocks 6 to 12 are lockable using the write protect

function during the writing process. The first block of data (block 0) is

pre-programmed and is used for storage of a unique 64 bit serial number.

The next two blocks (blocks 2 and 3) are used for storage of configuration

information; blocks 3 to 31 are free for user application use.

Inside Technologies Picotag® 2K

Block Byte number within a block

0123456 7

0 Serial Number (64 bits)

1FFh

Application

16-bit OTP

Area

Block

Write

Lock

Tun-

ing

Cap

1Fh E.A.S. Fuses

2 Application Issuer Area

Application Area4

Block Write Lockable Application Area

Application Area...

34 980476-001A

Infineon Technologies® my-d vicinity Transponders

Infineon Technologies® my-d vicinity transponders are high frequency

(13.56MHz) RFID devices. Each transponder has 10,000 bits of memory.

Data is segmented into 128 pages where each page has 8 bytes data storage

and 2 bytes administrative storage.

Infineon Technologies® 10K ISO15693

Block Byte number within a block

0123456 7

0 Unique ID Number — Read Only

1Manufacturer's Information — Read Only

User Data

...

Infineon Technologies® 2K ISO 15693

Block Byte number within a block

0123456 7

0 Unique ID Number — Read Only

1Manufacturer's Information — Read Only

User Data

...

980476-001A 35

ZPL II Commands for RFID

Valid programming requires that printer instructions begin with the Start

Format command (^XA) and finish with the End Format command (^XZ);

they are the opening and closing brackets, respectivley, of a label format

instruction.

This subsection describes the RFID-related commands:

■^WT – Write Tag

■^RT – Read Tag

■^RS – RFID Setup

■^RI – RFID Get Tag ID

■^RE – Enable/Disable Electronic Article Surveillance Bit

36 980476-001A

^WT – Write Tag

The format for the ^WT instruction is:

^WTb,r,m,w,f,v

where the parameters are:

b = block number

Default value: 0

Other values: 1 to n, where n is the maximum number of

blocks for the tag

This is the starting block number. If the user sends more than a block of data it

will overflow into the next block. If the user overflows the block and

subsequent blocks cause errors (write protects, beyond range, etc.), the write

will be aborted, but blocks already written will not revert to original contents.

It’s up to the user to ensure blocks aren’t accidentally overwritten.

r = retries

Default value: 0

Other values: 1 to 10, number of retries

m = motion

Default value: 0 (Feed label after writing)

Other value: 1 (No Feed after writing, other ZPL may cause

a feed)

w = write protect

Default value: 0 (NOT write protected)

Other value: 1 (Write protect)

f = data format

Default value: 0 (ASCII)

Other value: 1 (Hexadecimal)

v =

Not used for this printer.

If there is an error within the data for the transponder, the printer acts

according to the error handling parameter of the RFID Setup command

(^RS).

980476-001A 37

^RT – Read Tag

The format for the ^RT instruction is:

^RT#,b,n,f,r,m,s

where the parameters are:

# = number to be assigned to the field

Default value: 0

Other Values: 1 to 9999

b = starting block number

Default value: 0

Other values: 1 to n, where n is the maximum number of

blocks for the tag

n = number of blocks to read

Default value: 1

Other values: 2 to n, where n is maximum number of blocks

minus starting block number. In other words, if the tag has 8

blocks (starting with block 0) and you’re starting with block 6,

n can be 2. This would give you block 6 and block 7

information.

f = format

Default value: 0 ASCII

Other value: 1 Hexadecimal

r = retries

Default value: 0

Other values: 1 to 10, number of retries

m = motion

Default value: 0 (Feed label after writing)

Other value: 1 (No Feed after writing, other ZPL may cause

a feed)

s =

Default value: 0 (Least Significant Byte first)

Other value: 1 (Most Significant Byte first)

38 980476-001A

^RT – Read Tag (continued)

Example: This reads a block from a tag, and prints it on a label:

^XA

^RS1,0^FS

^FO20,120^A0N,60^FN1^FS

^FO20,100^A0N,20^FN2^FS

^RT1,7,3,0,5,0,0^FS

^RT2,2,2,0,5,0,0^FS

^XZ

The first ^RT command automatically detects the tag type, starting at block

7, reads three blocks of data in ASCII format. It will retry the command 5

times if necessary. A “void” label will be generated if the read is

unsuccessful after ‘r’ retries. The data read will go into the ^FN1 location

of the recalled format.

The second ^RT command automatically detects the tag type, starting at

block 2, and reads two blocks of data in ASCII format. It retries up to 5

times. The data read will go into the ^FN2 location of the recalled format.

You can send data back to the host with the Host Verification command

(^HV). Refer to the ZPL II manual to learn about this command.

980476-001A 39

^RS – RFID Setup

Use this command to set up RFID operation and error handling. You can

move the tag into an effective area to read or write.

The format for the ^RS instruction is:

^RSt,p,v,n,e

where the parameters are:

t = tag type

Default value: 1 –Auto Detect (automatically determine the

tag type, by querying the tag)

Other values:

2- Texas Instruments Tag-it™ tags

3- Philips I•Code tags

4- Inside Technologies Picotag® 2K

5- ISO 15693 tag (see note)

6- EPC Tag (13.56 MHz)

p = read/write position of a transponder in vertical (Y-axis) in

dot-rows from the top of the label.

Default value: label length minus eight dot-rows

Other values: zero to label length

Set to zero ( 0 ) so that the media will not move; that is, the

transponder is already in the effective area.

v = length of void print out in vertical (Y-axis) dot-rows.

Default value: label length

Other values: zero to label length

n = number of labels to try in case of read/encode failure

Default value: 3

Other values: 1 to 10, number of labels

e = error handling

Default value: 'N' (no action)

Other values:

'P'- printer pauses

'E'- printer goes into error mode

40 980476-001A

^RS – RFID Setup (continued)

If the read/encode retries exceed the number set by the "n" parameter, an

error will be sent to the host as an unsolicited message. To control the

unsolicited message, use the ZebraNet Alert commands (^SX and ^SQ) and

set the "condition type" parameter to "P."

Note • Use caution when using this function in combination with ^RI (reading the

unique ID number) or ^RT (reading tag data). Problems can occur if the data read

from the tag is going to be printed on the label. Any data read from the transponder

must be positioned to be printed above the read/write position. Failure to do this will

prevent read data from being printed on the label or tag.

980476-001A 41

^RI – RFID Get Tag ID

The format for the ^RI instruction is:

^RI#,f,r,m

where the parameters are:

# = field number to store the unique ID

Default value: 0

Other values: 1 to 9999

f = format

Default value: 0- MSB first for ISO15693. LSB first in

other tags.

Other vlaue: 1- LSB first for ISO15693. MSB first in

other tags.

r = retries

Default value: 0

Other values: 1 to 10, number of tries

m = motion

Default value: 0 (feed)

Other value: 1 (no feed)

The printer reads the ID from the tag so that it can be printed or returned to

the host by using the Host Verification command (^HV).

42 980476-001A

^RI – RFID Get Tag ID (continued)

The example below reads the unique ID/serial number from a tag, and

prints it on a label:

^XA

^FO100,100^A0N, 60^FN0^FS

^RI0^FS

^FD ^FS

^XZ

980476-001A 43

^RE – Enable/Disable Electronic Article Surveillance Bit

Use this command to set the Electronic Article Surveillance (E.A.S.) bit.

This command has no effect on transponders (such as the Texas Instruments

ISO 15693) that do not support E.A.S. capabilities.

The format for the ^RE instruction is:

^REt,r

where the parameters are:

t = set the E.A.S. bit

Default value: 'n' (Disable E.A.S.)

Other value: 'y' (Enable E.A.S.)

r = retries

Default value: 0

Other values: 0 to 10, number of retries

44 980476-001A

RFID Programming Examples

ZPL IITM is Zebra Technologies Corporation’s Zebra Programming

Language II label design language. ZPL II lets you create a wide variety of

labels from the simple to the very complex, including text, bar codes, and

graphics.

This subsection is not intended as an introduction to ZPL II. If you are a

new ZPL II user, order a copy of the ZPL II Programming Guide or go to

the internet address http://support.zebra.com and select the Documentation

Button to download the guide.

980476-001A 45

Sending ZPL Commands to the Printer

For your programming, do the following:

1. Set up the printer and turn the power on.

2. Use any word processor or text editor capable of creating ASCII-only

files (for example, Microsoft Word® and save as a .txt file) and type in

the label format exactly as shown in the sample label format that

follows.

3. Save the file in a directory for future use. Use the “.zpl” extension.

4. Copy the file to the printer.

From the DOS command window, use the “COPY” command to send a

file to the Zebra printer. For example, if your file name is format1.zpl

then type, “COPY FORMAT 1.ZPL XXXX”, where “XXXX” is the

port to which your Zebra printer is connected, for example, “LPT1.”

5. Compare your results with those shown. If your printout does not look

like the one shown, confirm that the file you created is identical to the

format shown, then repeat the printing procedure. If nothing prints,

refer to the “Getting Started” on page 7 to make sure your system is set

up correctly, otherwise refer to the “Troubleshooting” on page 61.

46 980476-001A

Line # Type this label format Resulting printout

^XA

ZEBRA

5A65627261000000

^WT6^FDZebra^FS

^FO100,100^A0n,60^FN0^FS

^FO100,200^A0n,40^FN1^FS

^RT0,6,2^FS

^RT1,6,2,1

^XZ

Line 1 Indicates start of label format.

Line 2 Writes the data “Zebra” to block 6 for the tag (one byte will

spill into block 7, since we have 4 bytes/block.

Line 3 Print field number ‘0’ at location 100,100.^FN0 is replaced

by what we read on line #5.

Line 4 Print field number ‘1’ at location 100,200. ^FN1 is replaced

by what we read on line #6.

Line 5 Read Tag into field number 0, starting at block 6, lasting for 2

blocks in ASCII format (default).

Line 6 Read Tag into field number 1, starting at block 6, lasting for 2

blocks in hexadecimal format.

Line 7 End of label format.

980476-001A 47

Handling Voided Transponders

Line # Type this label format Resulting printout

^XA

See next page2.

^RS,800,,2,P^FS

^XZ

Line 1 Indicates start of label format.

Line 2 Moves the media to 800 dots from the top of the media (or

label length minus 800 from the bottom (leading edge) and

voids the rest of the media in case of error. The printer will

try to print two labels, then will pause the printer if printing

and encoding fail.

Line 3 End of label format.

The following figure shows the resulting voided label. Note where the void

starts. The media has been moved 800 dot rows from the top of the label

(label length minus 800 dot rows from the bottom (leading edge) of a label)

to bring the transponder into the effective area to read/write a tag. If the

printer fails the operation, the rest of the media is voided.

48 980476-001A

980476-001A 49

VOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOID

Top of label

Start of RFID

operation

Bottom of label

Label length minus

800 dot rows

Line # Type this label format Resulting printout

^XA

See next page2.

^RS,800,500,2,P^FS

^XZ

Line 1 Indicates start of label format.

Line 2 Sets the printer to move the medea to 800 dots from the top

of the media (or label length -500 from the bottom (leading

edge) of the media) and prints "VOID" 500 dots in vertical

length (Y axis) on case of an error.

Line 3 End of label format.

The following figure shows the resulting voided label. Note where the void

starts. The media has been moved 800 dot rows from the top of the label

(label length minus 800 dot rows from the bottom (leading edge) of a label)

to bring the transponder into the effective area to read/write a tag. If the

printer fails the operation, an area that is 500 dot rows of the media is

voided instead of the rest of the media (as in the previous example).

50 980476-001A

980476-001A 51

VOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOIDVOID

Top of label

Start of RFID

operation

Bottom of label

Label length minus

800 dot rows

500 dot rows

Zebra Technologies R2844Z Thermal Printer with RFID User Manual Pt 3

Zebra Technologies Corporation Thermal Printer with RFID Users Manual Pt 3

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