Brother PT-E550W User Manual

In order to use your P-touch labeling system safely, read
the included Quick Setup Guide first.
Read this guide before you start using your P-touch
labeling system.
Keep this guide in a handy place for future reference.
Please visit us at http://solutions.brother.com/ where you
can get product support and answers to frequently asked
questions (FAQs).

Version A
US ENG

ELECTRONIC LABELING SYSTEMELECTR O N I C L ABELING SYSTEMELECTRONIC LABELING SYSTEM

PT-E550W

INTRODUCTION

EDITING A LABEL

LABEL PRINTING

USING THE FILE MEMORY

USING P-TOUCH SOFTWARE

NETWORK

RESETTING & MAINTENANCE

TROUBLESHOOTING

APPENDIX

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Contents

EDITING A LABEL............................................................................................3

Entering and Editing Text ......................................................................................................3

Entering Text from the Keyboard.....................................................................................3

Adding a New Line...........................................................................................................3

Adding a New Block.........................................................................................................3

Moving the Cursor ...........................................................................................................3

Inserting Text ...................................................................................................................3

Deleting Text....................................................................................................................3

Entering Symbols ..................................................................................................................4

Entering Symbols Using the Symbol Function.................................................................4

Entering the User-defined Character Using the Symbol Function................................... 5

Using Symbol History ......................................................................................................5

Entering Accented Characters ..............................................................................................6

Setting Character Attributes ..................................................................................................7

Setting Character Attributes by Label..............................................................................7

Setting Character Attributes by Each Line.......................................................................7

Setting Auto Fit Style .......................................................................................................8

Setting Frames ......................................................................................................................8

Tape Cutting Options ............................................................................................................9

LABEL PRINTING ..........................................................................................11

Label Preview......................................................................................................................11

Printing a Label ...................................................................................................................11

Printing a Single Page ................................................................................................... 12

Printing a Range of Pages.............................................................................................12

Printing Multiple Copies................................................................................................. 12

Attaching Labels ..................................................................................................................13

USING THE FILE MEMORY ..........................................................................14

 INTRODUCTION

Storing a Label into Memory ...............................................................................................14

Opening a Stored Label File................................................................................................14

Printing a Stored Label File .................................................................................................15

Deleting a Stored Label File................................................................................................15

USING P-TOUCH SOFTWARE......................................................................16

Using P-touch Editor ...........................................................................................................16

Using P-touch Editor (For Windows

Using P-touch Editor (For Macintosh)............................................................................ 20

Updating P-touch Editor.................................................................................................22

Using P-touch Transfer Manager (For Windows

How to Use P-touch Transfer Manager .........................................................................25

Transferring the Label Template to P-touch Transfer Manager.....................................26

Using P-touch Transfer Manager...................................................................................27

Transferring Templates or Other Data from the Computer to the P-touch Labeling

System........................................................................................................................... 29

Backing Up Templates or Other Data Saved in the P-touch Labeling System..............33

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) ........................................................................... 16

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).............................................................. 25

1

INTRODUCTION

Deleting All the P-touch Labeling System data............................................................. 34

Using the Data Transferred to the P-touch Labeling System.............................................. 35

A User-defined Character Image .................................................................................. 35

Printing the Transferred Template ................................................................................ 35

Using Transferred Database Data ................................................................................ 37

Deleting the Transferred Data ....................................................................................... 41

Using P-touch Library ......................................................................................................... 43

Starting P-touch Library ................................................................................................ 43

Opening and Editing Templates .................................................................................... 44

Printing Templates ........................................................................................................ 45

Searching for Templates or Other Data ........................................................................ 45

NETWORK .................................................................................................... 47

Configuring the Network Settings ....................................................................................... 47

RESETTING & MAINTENANCE.................................................................... 48

Resetting the P-touch Labeling System.............................................................................. 48

Resetting the Data to Factory Settings Using the P-touch Labeling System

Keyboard....................................................................................................................... 48

Resetting the Data Using the Menu Key ....................................................................... 48

Maintenance ....................................................................................................................... 49

Cleaning the Unit........................................................................................................... 49

Cleaning the Print Head ................................................................................................ 49

Cleaning the Tape Cutter .............................................................................................. 49

TROUBLESHOOTING................................................................................... 50

What to do when.................................................................................................................50

Error Messages................................................................................................................... 52

APPENDIX..................................................................................................... 56

Specifications...................................................................................................................... 56

Symbols.............................................................................................................................. 58

Accented Characters .......................................................................................................... 59

Character Attribute.............................................................................................................. 60

Frames................................................................................................................................ 62

Bar Codes........................................................................................................................... 62

Bar Code Settings Table............................................................................................... 62

Special Character List ................................................................................................... 63

Notes on Using P-touch Transfer Manager (For Windows

Notes on Creating Templates ....................................................................................... 64

Notes on Transferring Templates.................................................................................. 64

Notes on Transferring Data Other Than Templates ...................................................... 64

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EDITING A LABEL

Entering and Editing Text

Entering Text from the Keyboard

• The keyboard of your P-touch labeling system can be used in the same way as a standard

computer keyboard.

Adding a New Line

• To end the current line of text and start a new line, press the Enter key. A return mark

appears at the end of the line and the cursor moves to the start of the new line.

• Maximum number of lines

- 0.94" (24 mm) tape: 7 lines

- 0.70" (18 mm) tape: 5 lines

- 0.47" (12 mm) tape: 3 lines

- 0.35" (9 mm) and 0.23" (6 mm) tape: 2 lines

- 0.13" (3.5 mm) tape: 1 line

Adding a New Block

• When GENERAL is selected, you can create up to 99 new blocks. To create a new block

of text/lines to the right of your current text, press the Shift key and then press the Enter
key. The cursor moves to the start of the new block. In other labeling application types, you
can set the number of blocks when pressing a label application key. Some labeling
application types are not required.

Moving the Cursor

• Press the , , or key to move the cursor one space or line.

• To move the cursor to the beginning or end of the current line, press the Shift key and then

press the or key.

• To move the cursor to the beginning of the previous or next block, press the Shift key and

then press the or key.

 EDITING A LABEL

Inserting Text

• To insert additional text into an existing line of text, move the cursor to the character at the

right of the position where you want to start inserting text, and then enter the additional text.
The new text is inserted to the left of the cursor.

Deleting Text

 Deleting one character at a time

• To delete a character from an existing line of text, move the cursor to the character at the

right of the position you want to start deleting text, and then press the BS (backspace) key.
The character to the left of the cursor is deleted each time the BS (backspace) key is
pressed.

If you hold down the BS (backspace) key, the characters left of the cursor are continuously
deleted.

Entering and Edit ing Text

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EDITING A LABEL

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 Deleting all text at once

Use the Clear key to delete all text at once.

Press the Clear key.
The Clear options are displayed.

Using the or key, select "Text Only" to delete all text while retaining the current
format settings, or select "Text&Format" to delete all text and format settings.

•Press the Esc key to return to the text entry screen, without erasing (or clearing) text or
format.

• When "Text&Format" is selected, all text is cleared and the P-touch labeling system set to
the default settings.

Press the OK or Enter key.
All text is deleted. All format settings are also deleted if
"Text&Format" was selected.

Entering Symbols

In addition to the symbols available on the keyboard, there are various symbols (including
international, extended ASCII characters and the user-defined characters

the symbol function.
To enter a symbol, use the Symbol function (see below).
Alternatively, press the Shift key and then press a key on the keyboard to enter the symbol
printed on the selected key's upper-right corner.
Selectable "Symbols" (excluding the user-defined characters) are listed in the Appendix.
(See page 58)
To use the user-defined characters, transfer the bitmap image to the P-touch labeling system
using the P-touch Transfer Manager.

*1

A bitmap image of a user-created character that is not pre-installed on the P-touch labeling system.

*1

) available with

Entering Symbols Using the Symbol Function

Press the Symbol key.
A list of symbol categories and symbols in that category is displayed.

The last symbol entered is selected in the displayed list.

Select a symbol category (Punctuation, Mathematics, etc.) using the or key and
then press the OK or Enter key.

Enter ing Symbols

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Select a symbol using the , , or key, and then press the OK or Enter key.

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The selected symbol is inserted into the line of text.

When selecting a symbol:

•Press the Shift key and Symbol key to return to the previous page.

•Press the Symbol key to go to the next page.

Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

Entering the User-defined Character Using the Symbol Function

Before using the user-defi ned charac ter images, transfer the images to the P-touch labeling system
using the P-touch Transfer Manager. For the P-touch Transfer Manager refer to "Using P-touch

Transfer Manager (For Windows

Press the Symbol key.
A list of symbol categories and symbols in that category is displayed.
If a user-defined character has been transferred, "Custom" is also displayed.

The last symbol entered is selected in the displayed list.

Select "Custom" using the or key and then press the OK or Enter key.

Select a user-defined character image using the or key, and then press the OK or
Enter key.
The selected image is inserted into the line of text.

• When selecting a symbol, press the Symbol key to go to the next page.

• The inserted user-defined character image is displayed as a highlighted user-defined

character mark ( ) in the text entry screen.

• To view the user-defined character image in the text entry screen, move the cursor to the
image and press the Symbol key.

®

)" on page 25.

 EDITING A LABEL

Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

Using Symbol History

You can create your personal category of symbols by using the Symbol History. The "History"
will appear first when selecting the symbols, to help you locate the desired symbols quickly.

User-defined characters cannot be added to the Symbol History even if they are transferred to the
P-touch labeling system.

Press the Menu key, select "Advanced" using the or key and then press the OK
or Enter key.

Select "Symbol History" using the or key and press the OK
or Enter key. Then select "On" to create your personal category
by using the or key.

Enteri ng Symbols

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EDITING A LABEL

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Press the OK or Enter key to apply the setting.
The screen returns to the text entry screen.

Enter the symbol you wish to add to your History.

Refer to "Entering Symbols Using the Symbol Function" on
page 4 for detail.

Press the Symbol key.
The "History" appears, including the symbol entered in step 4.

• Up to 30 symbols can be added to the "History". The oldest symbol will be deleted from the
category when the symbols added to the "History" exceed 30 symbols.

• To stop using the Symbol History, select "Off" in the "Symbol History" screen.

Entering Accented Characters

The P-touch labeling system can display and print a set of accented characters such as other
language specific characters. Selectable "Accented Characters" are listed in the Appendix.
(See page 59)

Enter the character you wish to change to an accented character.

Caps mode can be used with the Accent function.

Press the Accent key.
The character you entered will change to an accented character.

Press the Accent key repeatedly until the desired accented character is selected, or
select it by using the or key.

The order of accented characters displayed will differ depending on the selected LCD
language.

Press the OK or Enter key.
The selected accented character is inserted into the line of text.

Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

Entering Accented Characters

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Setting Character Attributes

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Setting Character Attributes by Label

Using the Style key, you can select a font and apply size, width, style, line, and alignment
attributes. Selectable "Character Attribute" options are listed in the Appendix. (See page 60)

Press the Style key.
The current settings are displayed.

Select an attribute using the or key, and then set a value for that attribute using
the or key.

Press the OK or Enter key to apply the settings.

New settings are NOT applied if you do not press the OK or Enter key.

•Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

•Press the Space key to set the selected attribute to the default value.

• Small characters may be difficult to read when certain styles are applied (e.g. Shadow + Italic).

• Depending on the labeling application type, you cannot change the value in Style setting. In this
case, is displayed on the preview in the right side of the screen.

Setting Character Attributes by Each Line

When a label consists of two or more lines of text, you can set different values of character
attributes (font, size, width, style, line and alignment) for each line.

Move the cursor to the line you wish to modify by using the , ,

or key. Next, press the Shift key and then press the Style key

to display the attributes. ( on the screen indicates that you are
now applying the attribute for that specific line only.)

 EDITING A LABEL

When different attribute values are set for each line, the value will be
displayed as ***** when you press the Style key. When you change
the setting on this screen by using the or key, the same change
will be applied to all lines of the label.

Setting Character Attri butes

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EDITING A LABEL

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Setting Auto Fit Style

When "Size" of the Style key is set to "Auto" and label length is set to a specific length, you
can select the way of reducing the text size to fit within the label length.

Press the Menu key, select "Advanced" using the or key, and then press the OK
or Enter key.

Select "Auto Fit Style" using the or key and then press the OK or Enter key.

Select the style using the or key.

• When "Text Size" is selected, the total text size is modified to fit within the label.

• When "Text Width" is selected, the text width will be reduced to the size of x1/2 setting.
(If further size reduction is required to fit the text into the selected label length, the total
text size will be modified after reducing the text width to x1/2 setting.)

Press the OK or Enter key to apply the settings.

• Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

• Press the Space key to set the style to the default setting ("Text Size").

Setting Frames

You can select the frame of the label by using the Style key. Selectable "Frames" are listed
in the Appendix. (See page 62)

Press the Style key. The current settings are displayed.

Select an attribute using the or key until the "Frame" is
selected, and then select a frame by using the or key.

Press the OK or Enter key to apply the settings.

New settings are NOT applied if you do not press the OK or
Enter key.

• Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

• Press the Space key to set the selected attribute to the default value.

Setting Frames

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Tape Cutting Options

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The tape cutting options allow you to specify how the tape is fed and cut when printing labels.

Press the Menu key.

Select "Cut Option" using the or key, and then press the OK or Enter key.

Set the value by using the or key, and then press the OK or Enter key to apply the
settings.

New settings are NOT applied if you do not press the OK or Enter key.

•Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

• Refer to the Tape Cutting Options table for a list of all available settings.

Tape Cutting Options

No Full cut Half cut Chain Image

1NoYesNo

 EDITING A LABEL

2YesYesNo

3NoNoNo

4 Yes No No

5NoYesYes

Tape Cut ting Opti ons

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EDITING A LABEL

No Full cut Half cut Chain Image

6YesYesYes

7NoNoYes

8YesNoYes

9 Special tape

Tape Cutting Options

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LABEL PRINTING

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Label Preview

You can preview the current page and check the layout before printing.

Press the Preview key.
An image of the label is displayed on the screen.

1. The bar indicates the position of the currently
displayed portion of the label.

2. The tape width of the installed tape cassette and the
label length are indicated as follows:

Tape width x Label length

3. The information for the installed tape cassette is
detected and indicated. The first line indicates the
character color and the second line indicates the tape
color.

Press the or key to scroll the preview to the left or right.
Press the or key to change the magnification of the preview.

•Press the Esc, OK or Enter key to return to the text entry screen.

• To scroll the preview to the left or right end, press the Shift key and then press the or key.

• To print the label directly from the preview screen, press the Print key or open the print options
screen and select a print option. Refer to "Printing a Label" on page 11 for details.

• The print preview is a generated image of the label, and may differ from the actual label when
printed.

• The character color and tape color cannot be detected for some tape cassettes.

 LABEL PRINTING

Printing a Label

Labels can be printed once text entry and formatting is complete.

• Do not pull the label coming out of the tape exit slot. Doing so will cause the ink ribbon to
be discharged with the tape, making the tape no longer usable.

• Do not block the tape exit slot during printing or when feeding tape. Doing
so will cause the tape to jam.

• Be sure to check that there is enough tape remaining when printing several
labels continuously. If tape is running low, set fewer copies, print labels one
at a time, or replace the tape cassette.

• Striped tape indicates the end of the tape cassette. If this appears during
printing, press and hold the Power key to turn the P-touch labeling system
off. Attempting to print with an empty tape cassette may damage the P­touch labeling system.

Label Preview

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LABEL PRINTING

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Printing a Single Page

Press Print key to start printing.

Printing a Range of Pages

When there are multiple pages, you can specify the range of pages to print.

Press the Print key. The screen you can specify the range is displayed.

Select "All", "Current" or "Range" by using or key. If you select "All" or "Current",
go to step 4.

Specify the first page and the last page.

Blank pages are not printed.

Press the OK or Enter key to print.

Printing Multiple Copies

Using this function you can print up to 99 copies of the same label.

Make sure that the appropriate tape cassette is inserted and ready for printing.

Press the Shift key and then press the Print key to display the Copies screen, and then
select the number of copies to be printed using the or key, or type the number
using the number keys.

Hold down the or key to change the number of copies quickly.

Press the OK or Enter key. "Printing... Copies" is displayed while
the labels are being printed.

If you select an automatic cutting option when printing multiple
copies of a label, a message will be displayed to confirm whether
you want the labels to be cut after each label is printed.
To disable the message display, press the Menu key, select
"Advanced" using the or key, and then press the OK or Enter
key. Select "Cut Pause" using the or key, and then press the
OK or Enter key. Select "Off" using the or key, and then press
the OK or Enter key.

• Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

• The figures shown on the screen during printing indicate the "count / number of copies set".

• Pressing the Space key when setting the number of copies resets the value to 01, the default.

• When the message "Press Print to Cut Tape and Continue" is displayed, press the Print key. To
set whether the tape is cut after each label is printed, use "Cut Option". For details, refer to "Tape
Cutting Options" on page 9.

• To print a label created using the transferred template, refer to "Using the Data Transferred to
the P-touch Labeling System" on page 35.

Printing a Label

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Attaching Labels

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If necessary, trim the printed label to the desired shape and length using scissors, etc.

Peel the backing from the label.

Position the label and then press firmly from top to bottom with your finger to attach the
label.

• The backing of some types of tapes may be pre-cut to make it easier to peel the backing. To
remove the backing, simply fold the label lengthwise with the text facing inward, to expose the
inside edges of the backing. Next, peel off the backing one piece at a time.

• Labels may be difficult to attach to surfaces that are wet, dirty, or uneven. The labels may peel
off easily from these surfaces.

• Be sure to read the instructions provided with Fabric Tapes, Extra Strength Adhesive Tapes or
other special tapes and observe all precautions noted in the instructions.

 LABEL PRINTING

Attachi ng Labels

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USING THE FILE MEMORY

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You can store up to 99 of your most frequently used labels in the file memory. Each label is
stored as a file, allowing you to quickly and easily recall your label when needed again.

• When the file memory is full, each time you save a file you will need to overwrite one of your
stored files.

• The available space in the file memory can be confirmed using the following procedure. Press
the Menu key, select "Usage" using the or key, and then press the OK or Enter key. Select
"Local Content" using the or key and press the OK or Enter key.

* The available space that is displayed in "Available : XXXXchrs" may be different from the actual available space.

Storing a Label into Memory

After entering the text and formatting the label, press the File key.

If one or more of the labels are a transferred, a screen will be displayed to select "Local
Files" or "Transferred Templates" when you press the File key. Select "Local Files".

Select "Save" using the or key and press the OK or Enter key. A file number is
displayed.
A label text is also displayed if a label is already stored in that file number.

Select a file number using the or key, and then press the OK or Enter key.

When there is already a stored file in the selected number, the data will be overwritten by
the file you try to save.

Enter the file name and then press the OK or Enter key.
The file is saved and the screen returns to the text entry screen.

Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

Opening a Stored Label File

Press the File key.

If one or more of the labels are transferred, a screen will be displayed to select "Local Files"
or "Transferred Templates" when you press the File key. Select "Local Files".

Select "Open" using the or key and press the OK or Enter key. The file number of
a stored label is displayed.
The label text is also displayed to identify the label.

Select a file number using the or key, and then press the OK or Enter key to open
the selected file. The file is opened and displayed on the text entry screen.

Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

Storing a Label into Memory

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Printing a Stored Label File

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To print a label created using the transferred template, refer to "Using the Data Transferred to the
P-touch Labeling System" on page 35.

Press the File key.

Select "Print" using the or key, and then press the OK or Enter key.
The file number of a stored label is displayed.

The label text is also displayed to identify the label.

Select a file number using the or key, and then press the Print, OK or Enter key.

• Printing a single page:
A single page is printed immediately.

• Printing a range of pages:
The screen you can specify the range is displayed. Select "All" or "Range" by using
the or key, and then press the OK or Enter key.

If you select "Range", specify the first page and the last page.

•Press the Esc key to return to the previous step.

• The message "No Text!" is displayed when you try to print a file with no text.

• When the message "Press Print to Cut Tape and Continue" is displayed, press the Print key. To
set whether the tape is cut after each label is printed, use "Cut Option". For details, refer to "Tape
Cutting Options" on page 9.

 USING THE FILE MEMORY

Deleting a Stored Label File

To delete a label using the transferred template, refer to "Deleting the Transferred Data" on
page 41.

Press the File key.

Select "Delete" using the or key and press the OK or Enter key.
The file number of a stored label is displayed.

The label text is also displayed to identify the label.

Select a file number using the or key, and then press the OK or Enter key.
The message "Delete?" is displayed.

Press the OK or Enter key to delete the file.

Press the Esc key to cancel deleting the file and return to the previous screen.

Printi ng a Stored Label File

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USING P-TOUCH SOFTWARE

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Using P-touch Editor

You will need to install P-touch Editor and the printer driver to use your P-touch labeling
system with your computer.
For details on how to install the P-touch software, please refer to the Quick Setup Guide.
Refer to the procedures below for your computer’s operating system. In the screen shots,
"XX-XXXX" is displayed to represent the P-touch labeling system model number.
To download the latest driver and software, please visit the Brother Solutions Center at:
http://solutions.brother.com

Using P-touch Editor (For Windows®)

 Starting P-touch Editor

For Windows Vista® / Windows® 7 / Windows Server® 2008/2008 R2

From the Start button, click [All Programs]-[Brother P-touch]-[P-touch Editor 5.1].
When P-touch Editor starts, select whether you want to create a new layout or open an
existing layout.

®

8/ Windows® 8.1 / Windows Server® 2012

Using P- touch Editor

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For Windows

Click [P-touch Editor 5.1] on [Apps] screen or double-click [P-touch Editor 5.1] on the
desktop.
When P-touch Editor starts, select whether you want to create a new layout or open an
existing layout.

• You can also start P-touch Editor using shortcuts, if you selected to create shortcuts during
installation.

• Shortcut icon on the desktop: double-click to start P-touch Editor

• Shortcut icon in the Quick Launch bar: click to start P-touch Editor

• To change how P-touch Editor functions when it starts, click [Tools]-[Options] in the P-touch
Editor menu bar to display the [Options] dialog box. On the left side, select the [General]
heading and then the desired setting in the [Operations] list box under [Startup Settings]. The
default setting is [Display New View].

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Select an option in the screen.

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1. To create a new layout, click the [New Layout] button.

2. To create a new layout using a pre-set layout, select the desired category button.

3. To connect a pre-set layout to a database, select the check box next to [Connect
Database].

4. To open an existing layout, click [Open].

5. To open the application for easily creating labels for electrical equipment
management, click the [Cable Labeling Wizard] button.

 USING P-TOUCH SOFTWARE

Using P- touch Editor

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USING P-TOUCH SOFTWARE

 Operation modes

P-touch Editor has three different operation modes: [Express] mode, [Professional] mode,
and [Snap] mode. You can easily switch between modes by using the mode selection
buttons.

[Express] mode

This mode allows you to quickly and easily create layouts that include text and images.
The [Express] mode screen is explained below:

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1. Menu bar

2. Command bar

3. Draw/Edit toolbar

4. Property bar

5. Layout window

6. Database window

7. Mode selection buttons

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Using P- touch Editor

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[Professional] mode

This mode allows you to create layouts using a wide-range of advanced tools and options.
The [Professional] mode screen is explained below:

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 USING P-TOUCH SOFTWARE

1. Menu bar

2. Standard toolbar

3. Property palette

4. Draw/Edit toolbar

5. Layout window

6. Database window

7. Mode selection buttons

8. Side bar

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Using P- touch Editor

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