CognitiveTPG DLXi User Manual

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Cognitive Programming Language (CPL)

Programmer's Guide

105-008-04 Revision F – January 2012

*105-008-04*

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Radio Frequency Interference Statement Warning

Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Note

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.

Information to the User

This equipment must be installed and used in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. However, there is no guarantee that interference to radio communications will not occur in a particular commercial installation. If this equipment does cause interference, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to contact CognitiveTPG immediately.

CognitiveTPG is not responsible for any radio or television interference caused by unauthorized modification of this equipment or the substitution or attachment of connecting cables and equipment other than those specified by CognitiveTPG. The correction of interferences caused by such unauthorized modification, substitution or attachment will be the responsibility of the user.

In order to ensure compliance with the Product Safety, FCC and CE marking requirements, you must use the power supply, power cord, and interface cable which are sold for use with this product or which meet the following parameters:

Power Supply

UL Listed (QQGQ), Class 2 power supply with SELV (Secondary Extra Low Voltage), non-energy hazard output, limited energy source, input rated 100-240 Vac, 1.5/0.8 A, 50/60 Hz, output rated 24 Vdc, 2.9 A for 70 watt unit.

Use of this product with a power supply other than the CognitiveTPG power supply will require you to test the power supply and CognitiveTPG printer for FCC and CE mark certification.

Communication Interface Cable

A shielded (360 degree) interface cable must be used with this product. The shield must be connected to the frame or earth ground connection or earth ground reference at EACH end of the cable.

Use of a cable other than described here will require that you test the cable with the CognitiveTPG printer and your system for FCC and CE mark certification.

Power Cord

A UL listed, detachable power cord must be used. For applications where the power supply module may be mounted on the floor, a power cord with Type SJT marking must be used. For applications outside the US, power cords which meet the particular country’s certification and application requirements should be used.

Use of a power cord other than described here may result in a violation of safety certifications which are in force in the country of use.

Industry Canada (IC) Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du Canada.

Voluntary Control Council for Interference (VCCI) Radio Frequency Interference Statement

This is a Class A product based on the standard of the Voluntary Control

Council for Interference by Information Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this equipment is used in a domestic environment, radio disturbance may arise. When such trouble occurs, the user may be required to take corrective actions.

Disclaimer

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Consult your CognitiveTPG sales representative for information that is applicable and current. CognitiveTPG reserves the right to improve products as new technology, components, software, and firmware become available.

No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, or translated in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of CognitiveTPG.

Trademarks

CognitiveTPG™ is a trademark of TPG IPB, Inc.

Microsoft and Windows are registered Trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Contact Information

CognitiveTPG, Inc.

25 Tri-State International, Suite 200

Lincolnshire, IL 60069

Email:

marketing@cognitivetpg.com

Telephone: +1.800.732.8950

Fax: +1.847.383.7949

Website:

http://www.CognitiveTPG.com

T able of Contents

Introduction.............................................................................................. 2

Label Format Organization.................................................................. 3

Command Syntax................................................................................ 3

Important Programming Rules............................................................. 4

Related Publications............................................................................ 5

Printer Command Compatibility............................................................. 6

Printer Models..................................................................................... 6

Compatibility Tables............................................................................ 7

Table 1. Printer Command Compatibility (CPL only)..................... 8

Table 2. Printer Set-up and Diagnostic.......................................11

Table 3. Printer Bar Code Support .............................................. 17

Table 4. Printer Font Support...................................................... 18

Standard Printer Commands................................................................ 20

Standard Printer Command List........................................................ 20

ADJUST...................................................................................... 21

ADJUST_DUP ............................................................................ 23

AREA_CLEAR............................................................................ 24

BARCODE.................................................................................. 25

BARCODE AZTEC ..................................................................... 30

BARCODE DATAMATRIX.......................................................... 32

BARCODE_FONT ...................................................................... 35

Barcode GS1 Databar................................................................. 38

BARCODE PDF417.................................................................... 41

BARCODE QR............................................................................ 45

BARCODE RSS.......................................................................... 47

BARCODE UPS.......................................................................... 47

BEEP..........................................................................................52

COMMENT ................................................................................. 53

DOUBLE..................................................................................... 54

DRAW_BOX ............................................................................... 56

DRAW_CIRCLE.......................................................................... 57

DRAW_ELLIPSE ........................................................................ 58

DRAW_LINE............................................................................... 59

END............................................................................................60

FILL_BOX................................................................................... 61

GRAPHIC ................................................................................... 63

Graphics mode............................................................................ 65

HALT........................................................................................... 68

Header line ................................................................................. 69

INDEX......................................................................................... 72

JUSTIFY.....................................................................................74

LOGO mode ............................................................................... 76

MULTIPLE..................................................................................78

NOINDEX ................................................................................... 80

PITCH......................................................................................... 81

PRINT TEST LABEL................................................................... 83

QUANTITY.................................................................................. 84

Query Firmware Revision ........................................................... 85

Query Index Buffer Values.......................................................... 86

Query Index Settings .................................................................. 87

Query Printer Status ................................................................... 88

Status Query Response Messages............................................. 89

ROTATE R90, R180, R270......................................................... 93

Show Inches Printed................................................................... 95

Show MAC Address.................................................................... 95

Show Model Number .................................................................. 96

Show Print Head......................................................................... 96

Show Serial Number................................................................... 97

STRING......................................................................................98

TERMINAL................................................................................ 102

TEXT......................................................................................... 103

TIME.........................................................................................106

ULTRA_FONT .......................................................................... 111

Universal Clear ......................................................................... 115

Wake-up string.......................................................................... 116

WIDTH...................................................................................... 118

Storing Data in the Printer Memory.................................................... 120

Before Using Data Storage Commands..........................................120

Data Storage Commands................................................................ 121

Get Object Data........................................................................ 122

Mark Object for Deletion........................................................... 123

Mark Type of Objects for Deletion............................................. 124

Pack Objects............................................................................. 126

Delete Stored Object................................................................. 127

DELIMIT.................................................................................... 128

DEFINE VARIABLE.................................................................. 129

Format Recall ........................................................................... 134

Format Store............................................................................. 135

GRAPHIC RECALL................................................................... 139

GRAPHIC STORE.................................................................... 140

Initialize Storage ....................................................................... 142

List Stored Objects.................................................................... 143

Recall Menu.............................................................................. 144

Recall Variable.......................................................................... 145

Menu Commands................................................................................. 146

Menu Operation............................................................................... 146

Menu Programming......................................................................... 147

Menu Command List.......................................................................148

MENU ACTION ......................................................................... 149

MENU CONTROL..................................................................... 152

MENU END............................................................................... 153

MENU EXIT .............................................................................. 154

MENU ITEM.............................................................................. 155

MENU MESSAGE..................................................................... 157

MENU START........................................................................... 158

Recall Menu.............................................................................. 160

Capturing Data to USB Drive Commands.......................................... 162

Open Output Message Trace.................................................... 163

Close Output Message Trace................................................... 164

Open Input Capture Trace........................................................ 165

Close Input Capture Trace........................................................ 166

Add String to Trace File............................................................167

Write Trace Data to File............................................................ 168

Printer Setup (VARIABLE) Commands.............................................. 170

Variable Command Rules ............................................................... 170

Variable Command List................................................................... 171

VARIABLE ALLOCATE............................................................. 172

VARIABLE AUDIO_FREQ........................................................ 173

VARIABLE AUTOCUT.............................................................. 174

VARIABLE AUTO_TOF............................................................175

VARIABLE AUX_POWER ........................................................ 176

VARIABLE BACKLIGHT........................................................... 177

VARIABLE BEEPER................................................................. 178

VARIABLE BUFFER_TIMED_RESET...................................... 179

VARIABLE CODE_PAGE......................................................... 180

VARIABLE COMM.................................................................... 182

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE........................................................ 185

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE LOCAL_PITCH............................... 186

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE LX_VAR_ERROR........................... 187

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE DBF_ROT_LOC_ADJUST ............. 188

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE DISABLE_RG_JUSTIFY ................ 189

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE POWERUP_PITCH........................ 190

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE USE_LX_PARSER......................... 191

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE LX_HEAD_DEFS ........................... 192

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE LX_SINGLE_LABEL....................... 193

VARIABLE CONTRAST............................................................ 194

VARIABLE CPL_COMMAND_MASK ....................................... 195

VARIABLE DARKNESS............................................................ 196

VARIABLE EPL_COMMAND_MASK........................................ 198

VARIABLE ERROR_LEVEL ..................................................... 199

VARIABLE FEED...................................................................... 200

VARIABLE FEED_BUTTON..................................................... 201

VARIABLE FEED_CONFIG...................................................... 202

VARIABLE FEED_TYPE .......................................................... 204

VARIABLE GAP_SIZE.............................................................. 205

VARIABLE HIGHSPEED..........................................................206

VARIABLE INDEX .................................................................... 207

VARIABLE INDEX SETTING.................................................... 208

VARIABLE IRDA....................................................................... 211

VARIABLE IRDA COMM .......................................................... 212

VARIABLE IRDA PROTOCOL.................................................. 213

VARIABLE KBLAYOUT............................................................214

VARIABLE LABEL_LENGTH.................................................... 215

VARIABLE LANGUAGE ........................................................... 216

VARIABLE LOWSPEED........................................................... 217

VARIABLE MEASURE_LABEL................................................. 218

VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST.................................................... 219

VARIABLE MENU_LANGUAGE............................................... 222

VARIABLE MIRROR_LABEL.................................................... 223

VARIABLE MODE..................................................................... 224

VARIABLE NO_MEDIA............................................................. 226

VARIABLE NORMAL................................................................ 228

VARIABLE OFF AFTER ........................................................... 229

VARIABLE ON/OFF.................................................................. 230

VARIABLE ON_TIME ............................................................... 231

VARIABLE OVERRIDE............................................................. 231

VARIABLE PITCH..................................................................... 231

VARIABLE POSITION..............................................................233

VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL ................................................... 234

VARIABLE PRINT_MODE........................................................ 237

VARIABLE PRINT_SPEED ...................................................... 238

VARIABLE READ ..................................................................... 239

VARIABLE RECALIBRATE ...................................................... 240

VARIABLE REPORT_LEVEL ................................................... 241

VARIABLE REPORT_TYPE..................................................... 242

VARIABLE REPRINT................................................................ 243

VARIABLE RESET ................................................................... 244

VARIABLE ROTATE_LABEL.................................................... 245

VARIABLE SCRIPT_INPUT_RESET........................................ 246

VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT...........................................................247

VARIABLE SLEEP_AFTER...................................................... 248

VARIABLE TERMINAL.............................................................249

VARIABLE TIME....................................................................... 250

VARIABLE TOF........................................................................ 251

VARIABLE TXTBFR ................................................................. 252

VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK................................................ 254

VARIABLE USB_TXTBFR........................................................ 255

VARIABLE WIDTH.................................................................... 257

VARIABLE WRITE.................................................................... 258

VARIABLE ZPL_COMMAND_MASK........................................ 260

Using VARIABLE Commands............................................................. 262

Blazer Compatibility......................................................................... 263

Setting DT or TT Print Method......................................................... 264

Setting Bar or Gap Index Type........................................................ 265

Optimizing Index Detection ............................................................. 265

Direct Thermal Printing.............................................................265

Thermal Transfer Printing with Standard Wax Ribbon.............. 266

Thermal Transfer Printing with Resin Ribbon ........................... 266

Automatic Detect....................................................................... 266

Calibrate the Index.................................................................... 267

Setting Print Width........................................................................... 267

Ethernet Printer Information............................................................... 268

Ethernet Interface............................................................................ 268

Ethernet Link Indicator.............................................................. 268

Ethernet Connector................................................................... 268

Physical Address ...................................................................... 268

Network Protocols..................................................................... 269

Network Applications ................................................................ 269

LPD........................................................................................... 269

TFTP......................................................................................... 269

RTEL......................................................................................... 269

TELNET.................................................................................... 270

BOOTP.....................................................................................270

DHCP........................................................................................ 271

Printer Configuration ....................................................................... 271

Configuration Options...............................................................271

Manual Configuration................................................................ 272

Set Host Name.......................................................................... 273

Show Host Name...................................................................... 274

Operation ........................................................................................ 275

Self Test.................................................................................... 275

Variable Commands for Ethernet.................................................... 276

Ethernet Variable Commands ......................................................... 276

VARIABLE ETHERNET BOOTP............................................... 277

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP................................................. 277

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT....................................... 278

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS ................................ 279

VARIABLE ETHERNET FIRMWARE........................................ 280

VARIABLE ETHERNET GARP................................................. 280

VARIABLE ETHERNET GATEWAY......................................... 281

VARIABLE ETHERNET IP ADDRESS ..................................... 281

VARIABLE ETHERNET JOBSOKINERROR............................ 282

VARIABLE ETHERNET LPD.................................................... 282

VARIABLE ETHERNET NETMASK.......................................... 283

VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET............................................... 283

VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET COMMUNITY........................ 284

VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL.................................................. 284

VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL PORT....................................... 285

VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL TIMEOUT................................. 285

VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET ............................................. 286

VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET TIMEOUT............................286

VARIABLE ETHERNET TEXT BUFFER................................... 287

VARIABLE ETHERNET SNMP................................................. 287

Bar Code Information.......................................................................... 288

Uniform Product Code (UPC).......................................................... 288

I2OF5 AND D2OF5.........................................................................289

CODE39 and CODE39+.................................................................. 289

CODE93.......................................................................................... 289

EAN, EAN8, and EAN13.................................................................290

ADD2, ADD5................................................................................... 290

CODABAR ...................................................................................... 290

PLESSEY AND MSI1...................................................................... 291

MAXICODE..................................................................................... 291

PDF417........................................................................................... 291

POSTNET ....................................................................................... 292

CODE128 A, B, C............................................................................ 293

CODE16K ....................................................................................... 295

Media Tips and Tricks .........................................................................296

Label/tag Size and Shape............................................................... 296

Adhesives ........................................................................................ 297

Print Method (Direct Thermal or Thermal Transfer)......................... 297

Cut Type (Butt Cut, Gap Cut, or Continuous Form)......................... 298

Media Sensitivity ............................................................................. 299

Troubleshooting .................................................................................. 300

Common Issues .............................................................................. 303

Graphics Programming Issues........................................................ 312

Chapter

Introduction

Bar code printers are programmable devices. Most CognitiveTPG printers use the same command language, which has become an industry standard.

NOTE: EZ-LP and PCL printers are an exception. Standard CPL printer commands do not work on an EZ-LP or PCL printer. However, VARIABLE commands can be used to configure these printers.

In typical label printing applications, you will use simple ASCII commands to control the printer. You will write these commands in files called label formats. When sent to the printer, each label format tells the printer how to produce one or more labels.

One label format can print many similar labels. Label formats may be sent to the printer individually or in batches, in multiple file uploads. You may combine several different ASCII label formats in a single file, with each format capable of producing a different label.

This document describes the ASCII and graphics commands used to create label formats, stored objects, and menus, as well as the

VARIABLE commands used to configure the printer.

IMPORTANT: If you are using Microsoft Windows and preparing and printing label formats directly from Notepad or another Windows-based program, be aware that most Windows printer drivers will not work with CognitiveTPG printers. The "generic ASCII" printer driver (supplied with Windows) will pa ss ASCII label formats to the printer without interference. Please in stall and use this driver when sending ASCII label formats to the printer from the Windows environment. Do not use the CognitiveTPG Windows Driver when sending ASCII formats to the printer. The CognitiveTPG Windows Driver converts Windows documents to ASCII label formats; thus, your label form ats will print as they appear in the text editor rather than directly contro l the printer as intended.

Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG 2

INTRODUCTION

Label Format Organization

With a few exceptions that are noted in the command descriptions, every label format contains:

• A header line, which defines the overall label characteristics.

• One or more printer commands.

• An END statement, which tells the printer that it has

received all required data.

Here is a typical label format:

! 0 100 190 3 PITCH 100 BARCODE UPCA+ 20 75 70 19112610203 END

This label format would print a UPCA bar code on a label.

Command Syntax

CognitiveTPG printers will accept most commands in either an explicit (long) or implicit (abbreviated) form. Both command forms, where supported, are shown in the command descriptions. The command descriptions use the following format:

Command

Function The purpose of the command is described here.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Parameters Any optional or required command parameters are

Comments Any additional comments relating to use of the

Command parameters.

described here.

command are noted here.

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INTRODUCTION

Example

Sample program code is included here showing proper use of the command.

NOTE: The sample code shown does not always include all the lines in the label format that produced the sample label. Header lines, often omitted to save space.

Also, the label images shown only illustrate the features or command under discussion. They are not to scale. The labels your printer produces using the sample code will differ considerably from the label images in this document.

END statements and the like are

Important Programming Rules

Use blank spaces exactly as shown in the command descriptions. Blank spaces are the delimiters between parameters. Omitting a necessary space may cause incorrect label printing.

Do not send extraneous control characters to the printer.

End every command line with a line feed or a carriage return and line feed. If you create labels using a word processor, confirm that your system uses "hard" carriage returns (inserts ASCII characters 10 and 13 at the end of each line) to form the newline sequence.

Begin every label format with a header line. End every format with an END statement, unless otherwise noted in the command descriptions. (A few commands are "stand alone" and should not be followed by an END statement or any other commands.)

Not all printers support all commands, and there may be some variation in command use depending on the printer model. Review your printer's User's Guide and the compatibility information in Tables 1, 2, and 3 before you begin writing label formats or software.

4 Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG

INTRODUCTION

Related Publications

Every printer has a User's Guide, which covers hardware issues like installation, setup, and troubleshooting. We strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with your User's Guide before attempting to program the printer.

We also recommend the following books for readers desiring more information about bar code technology in general:

• The Bar Code Book by Roger C. Palmer (Helmers

Publishing, Inc., 174 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH

03458)

• Reading Between the Lines by Craig Harmon and Russ

Adams (Helmers Publishing, Inc., 174 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH 03458)

Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG 5

Chapter

Printer Command Compatibility

All commands, bar codes, and fonts do not work with all printers. Commands are added with the introduction of new printers and new firmware releases. Command usage can also vary, depending on the printer's firmware. The tables following provide some general command compatibility guidelines.

Y indicates that the command is supported in the current firmware version for the listed printer.

N indicates that the command is NOT supported by the listed printer and will cause the printer to report errors if the command is encountered.

- indicates that the command is not supported by the listed printer and it will have no effect if issued to the printer.

Printer Models

Printer models in the tables are designated as follows:

RD: Code Ranger Printers, all models

PW/PT42: Code Courier printers, models PW422003 and PT422003

BD/BT02: Barcode Blaster LS printers, models BD242002, BD422002,

BT242002, BT422002, and early Barcode Blaster SR printers

BD/BT05: Barcode Blaster high speed printers, models BD242005, BD422005, BT242004, BT422004

BL4202: Barcode Blaster CL, model BL422003 and BL423002

ADVANTAGE/LX: Barcode Blaster Advantage series, models

BD242003, BD422003, BT242003, BT422003, current Barcode Blaster SR model BT423002, and Advantage LX model LBT and LBD.

Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG 6

PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

SOLUS: Solus printer series, models SD4TI and ST4TI

DEL SOL/LX: Del Sol models DT and DD, and Del Sol LX models

LDT and LDD

EZ-LP: EZ-LP models (printers recognize some CPL commands but do not support printing CPL formats; EcPL and ZcPL emulation printing only.)

PCL: C Series, models with PCL, Cxxx-1330, Cxxx-1330-RX (printers recognize some CPL commands but do not support printing CPL formats; PCL printing only.)

CI: C Series, model Ci (except PCL models, CIxx-1330)

CXI: C Series, model Cxi (except PCL models, CXxx-1330)

DLX: Advantage DLX series

Compatibility Tables

Use the tables to determine command and functional compatibilities.

Table 1. Printer Command Compatibility (CPL)

Table 2. Printer Set-up and Diagnostic Compatibility

Table 3. Printer Bar Code Support

Table 4. Printer Font Support

Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG 7

PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

Table 1. Printer Command Compatibility (CPL only)

The following table summarizes commands that are compatible with each printer model when operating with the most current version of firmware.

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

ADJUST Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Variable

parameter for ADJUST

ADJUST_DUP Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

AREA_CLEAR Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

BARCODE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

BARCODE AZTEC N N N N Y(LX) N Y (LX) N Y Y Y BARCODE

DATAMATRIX BARCODE_FONT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Barcode GS1 Y Y Y

BARCODE PDF417 Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

BARCODE QR N N N N N N N N Y Y Y

BARCODE RSS N N N N N N N N Y Y Y

BARCODE UPS Y - Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

BEEP N N N N N N N N Y Y Y

COMMENT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

DELIMIT - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

DEFINE_VAR - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

DOUBLE - - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

DRAW_BOX Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

DRAW CIRCLE Y Y Y

DRAW ELLIPSE Y Y Y

DRAW LINE Y Y Y

END Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

FILL_BOX Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

GRAPHIC - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

HALT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

CODE COURIER

BD/BT02

BD/BT05

BL42

- - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

N N N N Y(LX) N Y (LX) N Y Y Y

ADVANTAGE/LX

SOLUS

DEL SOL/LX

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

8 Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG

PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

CODE COURIER

BD/BT02

BD/BT05

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

SOLUS

DEL SOL/LX

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

INDEX Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

JUSTIFY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

LOGO mode Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N

MULTIPLE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

NOINDEX Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

PITCH Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

QUANTITY - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

R90, R180, R270 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

STRING Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

TERMINAL Y Y Y

TEXT - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

TIME SET N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

TIME ADD N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

TIME GET N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

TIME QUERY N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

ULTRA_FONT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Universal clear Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y - - -

Wake-up string Y - - - - - - - - - -

WIDTH Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Data storage commands:

Prompts N N N N Y N Y N Y Y Y

DataSkip N N N N Y N Y N Y Y Y Delete Stored

Object

- - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Format Recall - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Format Store - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Store Enhanced Format

- - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Graphic Store - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Graphic Recall - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Recall Menu - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Recall Variable - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

HEADER commands:

Graphics mode Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N

Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG 9

PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

Background graphics

CODE COURIER

BD/BT02

BD/BT05

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

SOLUS

DEL SOL/LX

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Header line Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y variable dot

time !A automatic

header line

Standard Header Line

Reuse Header Line

Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

- - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Automatic Header N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Background

Header Clear Background

Header

N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

MENU commands:

MENU START N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

MENU END N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

MENU EXIT N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

MENU CONTROL N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

MENU ACTION N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

MENU ITEM N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

ME Y Y NU MESSAGE N N N N Y Y Y Y Y

NOTE: On the Del Sol, the WIDTH command is mandatory or errors will occur.

10 Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG

PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

Table 2. Printer Set-up and Diagnostic

The following table summarizes set-up and diagnostic commands supported by each printer model.

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

OBJECT MAINTENANCE commands:

Get Object Data Y Y Y Y Y Mark Object for

Deletion

Mark Type of Object for Deletion

Pack Objects Y Y Y Y Y

Delete Object Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Delete All Objects Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Print Object List Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Object List out Serial Port/USB

DIAGNOSTIC commands:

PRINT TEST LABEL Y Y Y Y Y Query Firmware

Revision Query Index Settings Query Index Buffer Values Query Printer Status

Show Inches Printed Y Y Y Y Y

Show MAC Address Y Y Y Y Y

Show Model Number Y Y Y Y Y

Show Print Head Y Y Y Y Y

Show Serial Number Y Y Y Y Y

CAPTURE TO USB commands: Open Output Message

Trace Close Output Message Trace Open Input Capture Trace

Close Input Capture Y Y Y Y Y

CODE COURIER

BD/BT02

BD/BT05

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

SOLUS

DEL SOL/LX

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

EZ-LP

PCL

Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y

Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG 11

PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

CODE COURIER

BD/BT02

BD/BT05

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

SOLUS

DEL SOL/LX

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

EZ-LP

PCL

Trace

Add String to Trace File Write Trace Data to File

VARIABLE commands:

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE ALLOCATE - - - Y Y Y Y Y - - -

VARIABLE AUTOCUT - - - Y - Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE AUDIO_FREQ Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE AUTO_TOF N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE AUX_POWER N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE BACKLIGHT N N N N N N N N Y Y N N N

VARIABLE BEEPER N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE BUFFER_TIMED_RESET

Y Y Y Y - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE CODE_PAGE Y Y Y Y N

VARIABLE COMM Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE COMPATIBLE N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE CONTRAST N N N N N N N N Y Y N N N

VARIABLE CPL_COMMAND_MASK

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE DARKNESS Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE EPL_COMMAND_MASK VARIABLE ERROR_LEVEL

VARIABLE ETHERNET BOOTP

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP

Y Y Y Y N

Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y N N N Y Y

N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y

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PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS

VARIABLE ETHERNET FIRMWARE

VARIABLE ETHERNET GARP

VARIABLE ETHERNET GATEWAY

VARIABLE ETHERNET IP ADDRESS

VARIABLE ETHERNET JOBSOKINERROR

VARIABLE ETHERNET LPD

VARIABLE ETHERNET NETMASK

VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET

CODE COURIER

BD/BT02

BD/BT05

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

SOLUS

DEL SOL/LX

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

EZ-LP

PCL

N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y

N N N N Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y

N N N N Y N Y N Y Y Y Y Y

N N N N Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y

N N N N Y N Y N Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET COMMUNITY

VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL

VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL PORT

VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL TIMEOUT

VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET

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Y Y Y Y Y

N N N N Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y

N N N N

N N N Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y

PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET TIMEOUT

VARIABLE ETHERNET TEXT BUFFER

VARIABLE ETHERNET SNMP

CODE COURIER

BD/BT05

BD/BT02

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

DEL SOL/LX

SOLUS

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

EZ-LP

PCL

Y Y Y Y Y

N N N N Y N Y N Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE FEED N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE FEED_BUTTON

VARIABLE FEED_CONFIG

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE FEED_TYPE Y Y Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE GAP_SIZE Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE HIGHSPEED Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE INDEX - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE INDEX SETTING

VARIABLE INDEX SETTING CALIBRATE

- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y - - - - -

- - - - Y N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE IRDA N N N N N N N Y - - - - -

VARIABLE IRDA PROTOCOL

N N N N N N N Y - - - - -

VARIABLE IRDA COMM N N N N N N N Y - - - - -

VARIABLE KBLAYOUT

VARIABLE LBEL_LENGTH

Y Y Y Y N

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE LANGUAGE N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y N

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PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

VARIABLE LOW_BATTERY

CODE COURIER

BD/BT05

BD/BT02

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

DEL SOL/LX

SOLUS

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

EZ-LP

PCL

Y - - - - - - - - - - - -

VARIABLE LOWSPEED Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE MEASURE_LABEL

VARIABLE MEDIA _ADJUST

VARIABLE MENU_LANGUAGE

VARIABLE MIRROR_LABEL

Y Y Y Y Y

- - - Y Y Y Y Y - - - - -

Y Y N N Y

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE MODE - - Y - Y Y Y Y - - - - -

VARIABLE NO_MEDIA - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE NORMAL Y Y Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE OFF_AFTER Y - - - - -

VARIABLE ON_TIME Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLES ON/OFF - Y Y Y Y Y Y - - - - - -

VARIABLE OVERRIDE

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE PITCH Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE POSITION Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL

N N N N Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE PRINT_MODE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE PRINT_SPEED

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE READ Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE RECALIBRATE

VARIABLE REPORT_TYPE

N N N N Y N Y N Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE REPRINT N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y

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PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

VARIABLE REPORT_LEVEL

CODE COURIER

BD/BT05

BD/BT02

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

DEL SOL/LX

SOLUS

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

EZ-LP

PCL

- - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE RESET - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE ROTATE_LABEL VARIABLE SCRIPT_ INPUT_RESET

Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE SHIFT_LEFT - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE SLEEP_AFTER

Y - - - - - - Y - - - - -

VARIABLE TERMINAL Y Y Y Y N

VARIABLE TIME Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE TOF N N N N N N N N Y Y Y Y Y VARIABLE TXTBFR Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y VARIABLE USB_TXTBFR Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE WIDTH - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y VARIABLE WRITE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE ZPL_COMMAND_MASK

Y Y Y Y N

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PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

Table 3. Printer Bar Code Support

The following table summarizes bar codes supported by each printer model.

BAR CODE SYMBOLOGY

ADD2 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y ADD5 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y AZTEC N N N N - - - Y Y Y Y CODE16K Y - Y - - - - - N N N N CODE39 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y CODE93 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y CODE128A Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y CODE128B Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y CODE128C Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y CODABAR Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y DATA

MATRIX EAN8 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y EAN13 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y EAN128 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y GS1 Y Y Y Y MAXICODE Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y MSI Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y MSI1 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y PDF417 Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y PLESSEY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y POSTNET - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y QR CODE Y Y Y Y UPCA Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y UPCE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y UPCE1 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y UPCA+ Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y RSS Y Y Y Y I2OF5 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y D2OF5 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y S2OF5 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

SUPPORTED IN PRINTERS

PW/PT 42

BD/BT 02

BD/BT 04/05

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

SOLUS

DEL SOL/LX

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

PCL

N N N N - - - N Y Y Y Y

NOTE: EZ-LP printers do not support CPL printing and therefore do n ot support printing the CPL format bar code symbologies listed .

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PRINTER COMMAND COMPATIBILITY

Table 4. Printer Font Support

The following table summarizes the fonts supported by each printer model.

FONT OR FEATURE

STRING 3X5

STRING 5X7

STRING 8X8

STRING 9X12

STRING 12X16

STRING 18X23

STRING 24X31

ULTRA_FONT A

ULTRA_FONT B

ULTRA_FONT C

TEXT 0

TEXT 1

TEXT 2

TEXT 3

TEXT 4

TEXT 5

TEXT 6

BARCODE_FONTS

STORED FONTS

DOUBLE byte Kanji,Korean) fonts

DOUBLE byte (Traditional Chinese)font

SUPPORTED IN PRINTERS

PW/PT 42

BD/BT 02

BD/BT 04/05

BL42

ADVANTAGE/LX

SOLUS

DEL SOL/LX

CODE RANGER

CXI

DLX/DLXi

PCL

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Y - Y - Y LX Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

- - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

- - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

- - - - - - - -

- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

TRUE TYPE - - - - - - - - Y Y Y Y

NOTE: EZ-LP printers do not support CPL printing and therefore do not support printing the CPL format fonts listed.

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Chapter

Standard Printer Commands

This chapter describes standard printer commands.

Standard Printer Command List

The following is a list of standard printer commands.

ADJUST DRAW_BOX PRINT TEST LABEL

ADJUST_DUP DRAW_CIRCLE QUANTITY

AREA_CLEAR DRAW_ELLIPSE QUERY INDEX

BARCODE DRAW_LINE QUERY REVISION

BARCODE AZTEC END QUERY STATUS

BARCODE DATAMATRIX FILL_BOX ROTATE R90, R180,

R270

BARCODE_FONT GRAPHIC SHOW INCHES

Barcode GS1 Graphics mode SHOW MAC

BARCODE PDF417 HALT SHOW MODEL

BARCODE QR Header line SHOW PRINT HEAD

BARCODE RSS INDEX SHOW SERIAL NO.

BARCODE UPS JUSTIFY STRING

BARCODE_FONT LOGO mode TERMINAL

BEEP MULTIPLE TEXT

COMMENT NOINDEX TIME

DOUBLE PITCH ULTRA_FONT

Universal clear

Wake-up string

WIDTH

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

ADJUST

Function Increments or decrements a variable value or numeric

data on the preceding command line.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Parameters

ADJUST variable nnn

A variable nnn

Variable

The name of the variable to be adjusted, as specified in its DEFINE_VAR command. The variable value is adjusted wherever it is called before the ADJUST command in the label format. This is an optional parameter, and is not supported in all printers. If no variable is specified, the printer will adjust the data on the command line immediately preceding the ADJUST command.

NOTE: Do not confuse variable values (as used to represent data) with VARIABLE commands (which control the printer). Also, only printers that support the command will support variable values. Refer to Table 1, Printer command compatibility for more information.

DEFINE_VAR

Nnnn

The incrementing or decrementing step size. Positive or negative numbers are accepted.

Comments Using ADJUST to increment or decrement alpha data can

produce unexpected results.

NOTE: ADJUST will not work properly with the !+ header line parameter

See also

Example 1

BARCODE_FONT

IMPORTANT!

Follow the rules of the bar code in use. For example, UPCA and several other codes do not support characters A-Z. Attempting to print unsupported characters will produce bar codes that will not scan. Incorrect bar width ratios can also produce unscannable bar codes. Please refer to Chapter 10 - Bar Code information.

Character darkness and pitch also affect the reliability of the bar codes. Avoid printing bar codes having bar widths of less than 10 mils. Rotated bar codes should not be printed with bar widths of less than 15 mils.

! 0 100 90 1 PITCH 100 BARCODE I2OF5 1 20 20 0123456789 BARCODE CODE39W- 1 50 20 34A END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

BARCODE UPCA+ 20 75 70 19112610203

BARCODE CODABAR(2:5) 10 30 20 A0123B

! 0 100 120 1 PITCH 100 BARCODE UPCA+ 10 95 70 04644200395 BARCODE_FONT 8X8(00,-73,1,1,1,1) BARCODE ADD5 120 100 61 34028 STRING 8X8 10 5 ISBN 0-395-34028-4 END

The following label formats print the same bar code using different dot times and bar width ratios. (Please note, though, that these formats use variable dot time. This feature is not supported in all printers.)

! 0 100 190 1 PITCH 100 BARCODER CODE39(2:6)- 10 0 30 1A2 END ! 0 100 90 1 PITCH 100 BARCODER CODE39(1:3)- 10 0 30 1A2 END

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Example 5

STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

BARCODE AZTEC

Function Prints a two-dimensional matrix symbol consisting

of square modules arranged around a bulls-eye pattern at the center, using the AZTEC symbology.

Explicit Form

BARCODE AZTEC (ECP, SqrSize, numSym, ID E M) x y size data

ECP

Error control and symbol size/type indicator.

0 = Default error correction level. (This is the default value)

1 to 99 = Error correction percentage (Fixed)

101 to 104 = 1 to 4 layer compact symbol.

201 to 232 = 1 to 32 layer fullrange symbol.

300 = Aztec “Rune” format.

SqrSize

Sets the number of pixels which make a module (square) in the barcode. The default is 5.

numSym

Specifies the number of symbols for a structured append. The range is 1 to 26 (Default = 1/OFF).

The ID field is a text string with a 24-character maximum. This string is used to identify the elements of the structured append symbol. (Default = No ID).

Enable escape encoding .

“n=0to6” Ec E

Default is none.

Creates a menu symbol (bar code reader initialization). Default is “not a menu symbol”

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Examples

x y

X and Y starting position for bar code block.

size

Number of encoded data bytes, including carriage returns and line feeds, or A[delim] where delim indicates a delimiter used to mark the data start and end (see Example).

data

Data to be encoded. Maximum data size for the AZTEC encoding is 1536 bytes.

NOTE: The number of bytes specified must exactly equal the number of bytes in the data that follows. The printer may not execute other commands following the

AZTEC command if the byte value is

incorrect.

! 0 100 300 1 BARCODE AZTEC 50 60 20 PI = 3.141592653 INDEX END

! 0 100 300 1 BARCODE AZTEC 50 60 A/ /Cognitive does AZTEC BARCODE 1234/ INDEX END

BARCODE

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

BARCODE DATAMATRIX

Function Prints a two-dimensional barcode using the

Datamatrix symbology.

Explicit Form

BARCODE DATAMATRIX (format, ecctype, rows, cols, cell size, bytes) x y data

format

Specifies the data format.

1 (for Numeric Data)

2 (for Upper-case alphabetic)

3 (for Upper-case alphanumeric and punctuation)

4 (for Upper-case alphanumeric)

5 (for full 128 ASCII set)

6 (for 8-bit binary, user defined)

For ECC 200 encoding, the format parameter has no effect.

ecctype

Specifies the error correction level. The default value is type F.

A (for ECC 000)

B (for ECC 050)

C (for ECC 080)

D (for ECC 100)

E (for ECC 140)

F (for ECC 200)

rows

Forced rows: Leave blank for the encoder to determine the smallest matrix size. If specified, values must fall between 9 and 144.

cols

Forced columns: Leave blank for the encoded to determine the smallest matrix size. If specified, values must fall between 9 and 144.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

cell size

Sets size of module (square) in the barcode in 100ths of an inch. Value specified can be decimal (see first example below). Values are between

1.0 and 10.0, blank indicates a default of 2.

bytes

Number of encoded data bytes, including carriage returns and line feeds, or delim which indicates a delimiter used to mark the data start and end (see Example).

Leave blank for the encoder to determine the byte count. The encoder will stop at the first newline sequence.

x y

X and Y starting position for bar code block.

data

Data to be encoded. Data must start on a new line, separated from the command by a newline sequence.

NOTE: The number of bytes specified must exactly equal the number of bytes in the data that follows. The printer may not execute other commands following the

BARCODE

DATA_MATRIX command if the byte

value is incorrect.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Examples

! 0 100 500 1 DELIMIT ~ BARCODE DATAMATRIX (5,E,,,2.5,) 50 50 This has a ~0x0D~ Carriage Return. END

! 0 100 500 1 BARCODE DATAMATRIX (,F,,,3,~) 50 50 ~An Alternative Simple encoding.~ INDEX END

! 0 100 500 1 BARCODE DATAMATRIX (5,E,,,2.5,) 50 50 This is Data Matrix coding. CognitiveTPG. END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

BARCODE_FONT

Function Allows selection of the font type, size, and position of

the human-readable characters printed below the bar-coded information.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Parameters

BARCODE_FONT type

BT type

type

Font type. Most printers can use any resident font except Ultra Font C. STRING is the default font type and will work with any printer. If you use a STRING font you only need to specify the font size and modifiers. For all other fonts you must spell out the font command name, font size, and modifiers; for example, ULTRA_FONT A20 (5,3,0) or TEXT 3.

NOTE: Not all printers will accept all font types for bar code subtext. Refer to Table

4. Printer Font Support for more

information.

You may use any font modifiers except for font rotation modifiers (bar code subtext automatically rotates with the bar code). When using STRING fonts, two more optional modifiers are available:

horadj

Offsets the printed text horizontally. Must be two digits; add leading zeros as required. May be positive or negative. If negative, the subtext is moved to the left.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

vertadj

Offsets the printed text vertically. Must be two digits; add leading zeros as required. May be positive or negative. Positive values move the subtext down, negative values move it up.

NOTE: If you use the horadj or

vertadj modifiers, you must specify

values for all modifiers as described for the

STRING command.

See the STRING, TEXT, and ULTRA_FONT commands

for other parameter details.

Comments The default subtext font for all bar codes except

UPCA+, EAN8+, EAN13+, and UPCE is an 8x8 string font. The excepted codes use a 5x7 string font, to allow extra space for extender bars. Unless modified using the horadj and vertadj modifiers, the bar code subtext is placed two dot rows below the bar code block.

See also

Example 1

BARCODE

NOTE: This command modifies all bar codes following it in the label format up to the next BARCODE_FONT command.

If you use multiple label format and specify optional font modifiers for one or more of the commands, you must specify optional font modifiers for all of the within the label format.

BARCODE_FONT 12X16 BARCODE CODE39 5 55 15 ABC

BARCODE_FONT commands in a

BARCODE_FONT commands

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Example 2

Example 3

BARCODE_FONT 9x12(00,05,1,1,1,2) BARCODE UPCAX+ 35 50 50 72773740001

! 0 100 120 1 PITCH 100 BARCODE UPCA+ 10 95 70 04644200395 BARCODE_FONT 8X8(00,-73,1,1,1,1) BARCODE ADD5 120 100 61 34028 STRING 8X8 10 5 ISBN 0-395-34028-4 END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Barcode GS1 Databar

Function Uses BARCODE RSS command to print a GS1

databar type barcode for space-constrained identification from EAN International and the Uniform Code Council, Inc.

Explicit Form

Parameters

BARCODE RSS type (mult, sep, height) x y h delim data

type

Specifies the symbology type in the GS1 databar family

0 = GS1 Databar Omnidirectional

1 = GS1 Databar Truncated

2 = GS1 Databar Stacked

3 = GS1 Databar Stacked Omnidirectional

4 = GS1 Databar Limited

5 = GS1 Databar Expanded and Expanded Stacked

6 = UPC-A

7 = UPC-E

8 = EAN-13

9 = EAN-8

10 = UCC/EAN-128 & CC-A/B

11 = UCC/EAN-128 & CC-C

mult

Specifies magnification factor for X and Y dots. Acceptable values are 1 to 10, default value is 1.

sep

Height of separator row used in stacked codes. Acceptable values are 1 and 2. Default is 1.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

height

For GS1 Databar Expanded type, this parameter is used to specify the segment width, in segments per line. Acceptable values are 2 to 22, default is 22.

For UCC/EAN & CC-A/B/C types, this parameter specifies the height of the linear portion of the bar code. Acceptable values are 1 to 500, default is 25.

For all other types, this parameter is ignored. Use 0 as a placeholder.

x y

X and Y starting position for bar code block.

This parameter is ignored. Use 0 as a placeholder.

delim

A[delim] where delim indicates a

delimiter used to mark the data start and end (see Example).

data

Data to be encoded. The data to encode resides between the delimiters specified in the DELIM parameter. To separate the linear from the composite component, a pipe symbol ‘|’ is used. Please see the examples.

Comments If additional information about the GS1 Databar bar

code is required, go to www.gs1.org.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Examples

! 0 100 250 1 C A linear barcode only BARCODE RSS 0 (1,1,22) 50 50 200 A~ ~123456765432~ INDEX END

! 0 100 250 1 C A stacked composite component BARCODE RSS 0 (1,1,22) 250 50 200 A~ ~123456765432|Composite Component~ INDEX END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

BARCODE PDF417

Function Prints a two-dimensional bar code on a label, using

the PDF417 symbology.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Parameters

BARCODE PDF417 x y w:h ec% rows:cols bytes T M data

BARCODE 7 x y w:h ec% rows:cols bytes T

M data

x y

Optional. Indicates rotated code

X and Y starting position for bar code block.

Width (x dimension) of the narrowest element (bar or space) in the bar code.

Height (y dimension) of the shortest element (bar or space) in the bar code.

Optional. When used, indicates that w and h define aspect ratio rather than absolute size in dots.

Error correction level; 0 through 8.

Optional; indicates the error correction level is expressed as the percentage of code words in the bar code that are devoted to error correction.

rows

Number of bar code rows, from 3 to 90. Entering 0 will cause the printer to calculate the number of rows.

Optional. When used, indicates that rows and cols define the overall symbol aspect ratio rather than absolute number of rows or columns.

cols

Number of bar code columns, from 1 to

30. Entering 0 will cause the printer to calculate the number of columns.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

bytes

Number of encoded data bytes, including carriage returns and line feeds. Macro PDF functions are invoked if this value exceeds 3072 (see comments).

Optional; produces a truncated bar code (the right row indicator and stop bar are replaced by a single width bar).

Optional; enables Macro PDF functions (see comments).

data

Data to be encoded.

NOTE: The number of bytes specified must exactly equal the number of bytes in the data that follows. The printer may not execute other commands following the

BARCODE PDF417 command if the byte

value is incorrect.

Comments PDF417 bar codes never have human-readable

subtext.

All dimensions specified in the command are in dots. The starting position of the bar code block is normally its upper left corner, but the JUSTIFY command can right justify or center justify PDF417 codes. Place the proper JUSTIFY command before the BARCODE PDF417 or BARCODER PDF417 command that plots the bar code you wish to justify.

Macro PDF functions provide command enhancements useful for handling large amounts of data. Macro PDF can create a distributed representation of files that are too large for a single PDF417 bar code block. An M before the data will invoke macro PDF, or the printer will invoke it automatically if the supplied data will not fit in a single PDF417 symbol. With macro PDF in effect, you may add the following optional parameters before the data:

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

File ID. Enter the desired file identification as a string after the I character. If the I is not followed by a valid string, the printer will select a random file ID.

File name. Enter the desired file name as a string after the N character.

Block count. The B character tells the printer to count the number of PDF417 symbols spanned by the data, and attach this number to the code.

Time stamp. Follow the P with an eight character string equal to the number of seconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00 GMT.

Sender. Place an alphanumeric string after the S character to indicate the sender.

Addressee. An alphanumeric string after the A character identifies the addressee.

File size, in bytes. The printer will calculate this value automatically.

Checksum. The presence of the C character will tell the printer to calculate a 16 bit CRC checksum and append it to the code.

Place double quotes (") around all strings used in the macro commands. To include a double quote within the string, precede it by a backslash (\). To include a backslash within a string, precede it with an extra backslash.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Example

PITCH 200 BARCODE PDF417 50 10 2 6 1 0 7 309 NAME:JOHN SMITH ADDRESS:116 WILBUR BOHEMIA, NY 11716 PHONE:516-555-4907 PHYSICIAN:DR.HARRY KLINE STONYBROOK MED CTR INSURANCE:AETNA POLICY NO:918-1287345 SPOUSE:JENNIFER SMITH HT:5'9" WT:165 HAIR COLOR:BROWN EYE COLOR:BROWN ALLERGIES:NONE DISABILITIES:NONE BLOOD:A SS#051-98-2374 DOB:5/24/60 END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

BARCODE QR

Function Prints a 2-D matrix symbology consisting of an array

of nominally square modules arranged in an overall square pattern using the QR symbology. A unique pattern at three of the symbol’s four corners assists in determining the bar code size, position, and rotation.

Explicit Form

BARCODE QR x y cellsize [m=model] size data

x y

X and Y starting position for bar code block.

cellsize

Sets the number of pixels which make a module (square) in the barcode.

model

Specifies the original version (m = 1), or the enhanced form of the symbology (m = 2). model 2 is the recommended model.

size

Number of encoded data bytes, including carriage returns and line feeds, or A[delim] where delim indicates a delimiter used to mark the data start and end (see Example).

data

Data to be encoded.

NOTE: The number of bytes specified must exactly equal the number of bytes in the data that follows. The printer may not execute other commands following the

command if the byte value is

incorrect.

BARCODE

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Comments When using the QR barcode the data must be

formatted to ensure the proper barcode is created. The recommended format to encode DATA in the QR barcode is QA,DATA. The first character specifies the error correction level whose possible values are L, M, Q, or H for Low, Mid, Mid-high, and High level correction, respectively. The second character specifies the method of data input, with possible values of A or M for Automatic Data Input or Manual Data Input, respectively, If the Automatic Data Input mode is not sufficient please refer to the QR barcode specification to ensure proper data is sent to the printer.

Examples

! 0 100 250 1 BARCODE QR 50 60 3 M=2 A~ ~QA,This is a QR Barcode~ INDEX END

! 0 100 250 1 BARCODE QR 50 60 3 M=2 23 ~QA,This is a QR Barcode~ INDEX END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

BARCODE RSS

RSS is legacy term. Current term is GSI Databar. See Barcode

GS1 Databar.

BARCODE UPS

Function Prints a two-dimensional bar code on a label, using

the MaxiCode symbology. CognitiveTPG printers may implement this bar code two ways, as described below.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Alternate Explicit Form

Alternate Implicit Form

BARCODE UPS x y mod data

B PS x y mod data

BARCODE UPS x y mod CrLF data

B PS x y mod CrLF data

x y

mod

CrLF

X and Y starting position for bar code block.

Encoding mode; allowable values are 0 through 6.

Carriage return and line feed

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

data

Data to be encoded. If not preceded by a carriage return and line feed, the data must conform to the following format:

zip plus4 class ccode bytes LMdata

zip – Five digit postal (zip) code,

numeric

plus4 – Four digit zip code extension, numeric only

class – Three digit service class, numeric only

ccode – Three digit country code, numeric only

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

bytes – Number of encoded data bytes in the Low Priority Message. The number of bytes includes all carriage returns and line feeds, and must equal

84.

LMdata – Alphanumeric data to be encoded as the Low Priority Message. Uppercase alpha characters only. If the total number of bytes is less than 84, pad the data with the exclamation point character (!) until there are 84 bytes in the message.

NOTE: Most printers that support MaxiCode will automatically pad the data as required, but some earlier printers may not. Manually placing the correct number of data bytes in the message will help assure that the code prints and scans correctly when using the command with older printers.

The data does not have to follow the above format if it is preceded by a carriage return and line feed, as shown in the alternate explicit and implicit forms above. The presence of the carriage return/line feed tells the printer to encode all the data as it is encountered, regardless of order or content. But the data must conform to ANSI standards if you are using MaxiCode for common carrier shipment identification. For more information, see ANSI MH10.8.3, or Guide to Bar Coding with UPS, published by United Parcel Service, Inc. This booklet contains detailed UPS MaxiCode requirements, plus programming examples for various printers.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Comments MaxiCodes cannot be rotated, and can never have

human-readable subtext.

Example The following example uses the alternate form, with

data coded following the ANSI MH10.8.3 standard.

NOTE: This format will not print if copied directly to the printer. The BARCODE UPS command line is broken for Help window readability. Also, the example uses non-displayable control characters, represented as follows:

CrLF = carriage return and line feed Gs = ASCII 29 (decimal) Rs = ASCII 30 (decimal) Eot = ASCII 4 (decimal)

! 0 100 570 1 PITCH 200 BARCODE UPS 0 0 2 CrLF[)>Rs01Gs96841706672 Gs001Gs1Z12345675GsUPSNGs12345EGs089GsGs 1/1Gs10.1GsYGsGsGsUTRsEot END

This example codes the following data:

[)>Rs Message Header

01Gs96 Transportation Data

Format Header

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

841706672Gs840 Postal Code, Country

Code

Gs001Gs1Z12345675 Class of Service,

Tracking Number

GsUPSNGs12345EGs089 SCAC, UPS Shipper

Number, Julian Day of Pickup

GsGs1/1 Place holder for

Shipment ID Number, Package n/x

Gs10.1GsY Package Weight,

Address Validation

Place holder for Ship To Street Address

Place holder for Ship To City

GsUT Ship To State

Eot

End Of Format

End Of Message

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

BEEP

Function Causes the printer to beep for the specified duration

when the command is received. The beeper volume has been previously set.

Explicit Form

Parameters

BEEP seconds

seconds

The number of seconds to beep. The range is 1 to 255 seconds.

Comments The beeper will sound when the command is

processed in the label. If a beep is desired when the label has finished printing, the HALT command can be used.

See also

HALT

Example The format below will cause the printer to beep for

five (5) seconds when the label is received:

! 0 0 0 0 WIDTH 400 TEXT 3 10 10 This label will BEEP. BEEP 5 END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

COMMENT

Function This command is used for documenting label

formats. Comment lines do not affect label printing.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Parameters

COMMENT characters

C characters

characters

The non-printing comment. The printer ignores all characters following the COMMENT command, up to the end of the line as indicated by the presence of a line feed character (ASCII character 10).

Comments This command is primarily for internal

documentation of label formats, but you can also use it to temporarily disable commands within the label format. Placing a C or the word COMMENT before the command will disable it.

This command is valid only within the label format; it cannot be used to remove an entire format or to add comments above the format. Placing a C or the word COMMENT before the ! or after END will result in an invalid command.

Example In the label format below, the presence of the C

character at the beginning of the third line and the word COMMENT in the fourth line tells the printer to ignore everything that follows up to the next line feed.

! 0 100 190 1 STRING 8X8 115 5 THIS COMMENT WILL PRINT C STRING 8X8 115 15 THIS COMMENT WON'T PRINT COMMENT this is a comment. It won't print

either. END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

DOUBLE

Function Prints "double byte" text characters from a selected

font set. Double byte fonts are used for characters that require greater resolution than can be provided in a single byte (specifically, Kanji characters).

Explicit Form

Parameters

DOUBLE font ID (exspace,rotation,xmult,ymult) x y mtid characters

font

Specifies the text font. There are two double byte fonts available at present:

16 = 16x16 dot (Kanji, Korean, Traditional Chinese)

24 = 24x24 dot (Kanji, Korean, Traditional Chinese)

exspace

Specifies the extra spaces between characters.

rotation

Specifies the character rotation, where rotation can be 0, 90, 180 or 270 in a clockwise direction.

xmult

Specifies font multiplier in x dimension.

ymult

Specifies font multiplier in y dimension.

mtid

Specifies a font mapping table; must be 1 (specifies mapping table SHIFTJIS) for Kanji and 3 for Korean. Traditional Chinese is not currently in the firmware but is available for download.

Comments DOUBLE fonts are stored in user-accessible memory

in many printers, and are handled as stored objects. This means they may be deleted or replaced in the field, so the actual resident fonts may differ from those delivered in the printer. Take

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

this into account when using the DOUBLE command.

Example The following label format will print text using the

double byte characters. The Kanji characters are mapped above ASCII 128, so may not display correctly on your terminal.

! 0 100 210 1 DOUBLE 24 0 0 1 This is Kanji(24x24) ˆ ˆ¡ DOUBLE 16(0,0,2,2) 0 50 1 This is

Kanji(16x16*2) ˆ ˆ¡’@ END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

DRAW_BOX

Function Draws a hollow rectangle on the label.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Parameters

DRAW_BOX x y w h t

D x y w h t

X coordinate of upper left corner of box

Y coordinate of upper left corner of box

Box width, measured in dot columns. Must be greater than zero.

Box height, measured in dot rows. Must be greater than zero.

Optional; specifies line thickness in dots. The default is 1. If t is greater than 1, the x, y, w, and h parameters refer to the box outside dimensions.

Comments DRAW_BOX can draw horizontal and vertical lines on labels if

you set t and h or w equal to 1, but the lines are two dots wide. Boxes drawn with this command may not print well at 200 DPI or higher resolution unless the t parameter is 2 or more. Some early printers do not support the t parameter, in which case we suggest using multiple FILL_BOX commands to create boxes with thicker lines.

See also

Example

FILL_BOX

NOTE: Avoid drawing boxes around bar codes. Vertical lines near the bar code edge may be confused by scanners as being part of the code.

DRAW_BOX 5 5 100 50 DRAW_BOX 10 10 90 40 DRAW_BOX 20 30 70 1

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

DRAW_CIRCLE

Function Draws a circle located by the upper left corner of a

square enclosing the circle.

Explicit Form

Parameters

DRAW_CIRCLE x y d t c

X coordinate of upper left corner of enclosing square

Y coordinate of upper left corner of enclosing square

Circle diameter. Must be greater than zero.

Optional; specifies line thickness in dots. The default is 1. If t is greater than 1, the x and y parameters refer to the box outside dimensions.

Optional; specifies plotting modes. B=plot black, W=plot white.

Comments DRAW_CIRCLE can draw a circle enclosed by a

square on labels if you set t and d equal to 1, but the lines are two dots wide. Figures drawn with this command may not print well at 200 DPI or higher resolution unless the t parameter is 2 or more.

Some early printers do not support the t parameter, in which case we suggest using multiple FILL_CIRCLE commands to create figures with thicker lines.

Example

DRAW_CIRCLE 25 35 150 75 DRAW_CIRCLE 150 5 175 10 DRAW_CIRCLE 75 75 225 10

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

DRAW_ELLIPSE

Function Draws an ellipse located by the upper left corner of

a rectangle enclosing the ellipse on the label.

Explicit Form

Parameters

DRAW_ELLIPSE x y w h t c

X coordinate of upper left corner of enclosing rectangle.

Y coordinate of upper left corner of enclosing rectangle.

Ellipse width, measured in dot columns. Must be greater than zero.

Ellipse height, measured in dot rows. Must be greater than zero.

Optional; specifies line thickness in dots. The default is 1. If t is greater than 1, the x, y, w, and h parameters refer to the box outside dimensions.

Optional; specifies plotting modes. B=plot black, W=plot white

Comments DRAW_ELLIPSE can draw a rectangle enclosing an

ellipse if you set t and h or w equal to 1, but the lines are two dots wide. Figures drawn with this command may not print well at 200 DPI or higher resolution unless the t parameter is 2 or more.

Some early printers do not support the t parameter, in which case we suggest using multiple FILL_ELLIPSE commands to create boxes with thicker lines.

Example

DRAW_ELLIPSE 90 15 50 75 15 DRAW_ELLIPSE 75 105 225 200 100 DRAW_ELLIPSE 150 5 175 100 1

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

DRAW_LINE

Function Draws a line from coordinate x1, y1 to x2,y2.

Explicit Form

Parameters

DRAW_LINE x1 y1 x2 y2 t c

Starting X coordinate of line.

Starting Y coordinate of line.

Ending X coordinate of line.

Ending Y coordinate of line.

Optional; specifies line thickness in dots. The default is 1.

Optional; specifies plotting modes. B=plot black, W=plot white.

Comments DRAW_LINE can draw horizontal and vertical lines

on labels if you set t, x1,y1,x2, y2 equal to 1, but the lines are two dots wide. Lines drawn with this command may not print well at 200 DPI or higher resolution unless the t parameter is 2 or more.

Some early printers do not support the t parameter, in which case we suggest using multiple FILL_??? commands to create boxes with thicker lines.

Note

Example

NOTE: Avoid drawing vertical lines around bar codes. Vertical lines near the bar code edge may be confused by scanners as being part of the code.

DRAW_LINE 15 15 150 285 5 DRAW_LINE 15 285 150 15 5 DRAW_LINE 15 5 150 5 5

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

END

Function Signals the end of a label format

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

END

Parameters None

Comments The END command tells the printer that all data

required for the current label format has been sent. When the END command reaches the printer, the label format is processed and printing begins. Printing normally continues until all the labels specified in the label format have printed, but it may be temporarily paused with the HALT command (or by enabling label taken mode in printers so equipped).

See also

HALT

IMPORTANT!

Place an END statement at the end of every ASCII label format unless otherwise noted in specific command instructions. The printer will not print the lab el format until it receives an

END command.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

FILL_BOX

Function This command inverts every dot in the specified

rectangular area. Where the existing field is white, the FILL_BOX command fills it in black, while areas already black are flipped to white.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Parameters

FILL_BOX x y w h

F x y w h

X coordinate of upper left corner of box

Y coordinate of upper left corner of box

Box width, measured in dot columns. Must be greater than zero.

Box height, measured in dot rows. Must be greater than zero.

Comments The FILL_BOX command can produce many useful

effects. Overlaying multiple filled boxes can produce wide or multiple-line borders. Overlaying filled boxes can also produce shadow effects or one-dotwide lines. The following examples show some possible uses of the command.

See also

DRAW_BOX

IMPORTANT!

You can print black labels with white text on them using the

FILL_BOX command, but this is not

recommended. Printing large dark areas causes

excessive heat buildup and is very hard on the print head. Long horizontal boxes are most strenuous to print. They may adversely affect print quality, and also place considerable drain on a portable printer's battery.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Example 1

Example 2

! 0 100 180 1 PITCH 200 FILL_BOX 50 50 750 85 FILL_BOX 50 50 725 60 FILL_BOX 25 25 750 85 FILL_BOX 27 27 750 85 END

! 0 100 90 1 PITCH 100 ULTRA_FONT B25 (6,0,0) 70 5 SHELL 1 FILL_BOX 65 1 130 20 ULTRA_FONT B25 (4,2,0) 71 6 SHELL 1 FILL_BOX 65 1 130 30 ULTRA_FONT B25 (6,0,0) 70 40 SHELL 2 FILL_BOX 65 36 130 20 ULTRA_FONT B25 (4,2,0) 71 40 SHELL 2 END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

GRAPHIC

Function Initializes the printer to receive graphics data, and

positions the received graphic on a label. This ASCII command allows you to send standard PCX or BMP format graphics directly from a file.

NOTE: GRAPHIC must be the last command in its label format. Do not follow it with an END command. The printer waits for graphics data and a following printable label file after receiving this command.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

Parameters

GRAPHIC type x y

G type x y

type

Graphic file type. Allowable types are PCX and BMP.

x y

Starting position of the printed graphic; normally the upper-left corner unless changed by a JUSTIFY command.

Comments After the printer receives the GRAPHIC command it

waits for the arrival of graphics data. The data is then mapped in the printer's memory. To print the graphic, send another label format using a !+ header line to the printer.

The printer only prints monochrome (black and white) graphics. Do not try to print color or grayscale graphics. Also, graphics are printed full scale, with each image dot corresponding to one printed dot. The printer will not scale graphics to fit.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Example The following two label formats will print a PCX

graphic with its upper left corner at location 416, 14 if the appropriate PCX file is sent to the printer following the first label format.

Format 1

! 0 100 600 0 JUSTIFY RIGHT GRAPHIC PCX 416 14

- (Send the graphics file here. The printer will print after it receives the label format below.)

Format 2

!+ 0 100 590 1 END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Graphics mode

Function Initializes the printer to receive binary data for

printing bitmapped graphics. Unlike most commands, this command is not sent as ASCII text. Send all graphics data, including the header line, to the printer in a continuous binary data stream.

Explicit Form

Parameters

mode dottime dotrows numlbls data

mode

The graphics command. Use @ for foreground graphics printing, # for background graphics printing. The mode parameter is sent as a one byte binary representation of the ASCII character.

dottime

Determines the Y dimension of each dot. Dot time is a one byte binary number with a decimal value between 1 and 255.

dotrows

Number of dot rows required for the image, sent as a two byte binary value with a minimum of 1 and a maximum limited by label size and available printer memory.

numlbls

Number of duplicate labels to print, sent as a two byte binary number having a decimal value between 0 and 65535. Set this value to 0 when preparing background graphics.

data

Binary data defining the bitmapped image. The image is coded as a raster scan, with binary 1's representing black dots and binary 0's representing white dots.

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IMPORTANT!

Dot time values that result in aspect ratios le ss than 0.8 are not recommended, as poor print quality can result.

STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Comments When programming in graphics mode, you control

every dot on the print head separately. All the dots on the finished label can be either dark or light, depending on the setting for each bit in the graphics file.

Send all data to the printer in a continuous binary stream. Enough data must reach the printer to control all the dots for the specified number of dot rows over the print width. That may be quite a lot of data, since each square inch of label when printed at 200 DPI can have 40,000 dots. If your graphics image is much smaller than the print head width, we recommend using LOGO mode programming if possible. If you cannot use LOGO mode, reducing the width with a WIDTH statement in a normal ASCII label format will help reduce the data requirement.

You cannot use a typical word processor to create binary files. This is because word processors enter every character as an ASCII code. Typing the number zero, for example, produces ASCII 48. This character leaves the computer as binary code 00110000, which is not the same as sending binary 00000000 (true binary zero).

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ASCII commands cannot be mixed in the binary

graphics file. If you want to print predefined objects (such as bar codes or text) on the same label with binary bitmapped graphics, you have four possible approaches:

1. Program either the graphics or the ASCII components in the background, and put the other components in the foreground.

2. Use the !+ header line mode with AREA_CLEAR to overlay existing data with new data (typically, you send the bitmap to the printer first, then use !+ to put the ASCII components over the bitmap).

3. Use LOGO mode to place graphics where you want them, then use !+ to send ASCII components to the printer.

4. Use the GRAPHIC command to send the graphics to the printer as a BMP or PCX file, and then follow it with an ASCII label format containing the predefined objects.

See also Header line, LOGO mode, AREA_CLEAR, and

GRAPHIC

Example Here is the beginning of a typical foreground

graphic in ASCII form, hexadecimal form, and binary. The segment shown covers the graphics header and the beginning of the bitmap. Spaces have been added to the ASCII and hexadecimal forms for clarity. The printer will only accept the binary form.

ASCII: @ 100 100 1 0000000000...

Hex: 40 64 0064 1 000000000...

Binary: 0010100001000000000000000100000000000000000 000100000…

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

HALT

Function Pauses the printer after it prints one label. If there

are more labels left to print in the current batch, pressing the printer's feed switch will signal the printer to print the next label. The HALT command also activates the label cutter in printers so equipped.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

HALT

Parameters None

Comments This feature is intended for situations that require

many similar labels, presented one at a time. For example, tagging a large quantity of boxes on a warehouse floor might call for labels that are identical except for a serial number. You could write the label format using the ADJUST command to change the serial number, and use the HALT command to put printing "on hold." Only one label prints when you upload the label format to the printer. If using a portable printer, you could even disconnect the printer from the host and carry it to the warehouse with the labels ready to print as needed, without any other equipment.

See also

Printers that have an integral cutter and label taken sensor will stream labels without cutting them unless there is a HALT command in the label format, or VARIABLE AUTOCUT is ON.

VARIABLE AUTOCUT

NOTE: Place the HALT command before the END command but after all commands that map components on the label (such as

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STRING or BARCODE).

STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Header line

Function Initializes the printer to receive a label format.

Explicit Form

Parameters

mode x dottime maxY numlbls

mode

Sets the encoding mode for the label format. Valid characters are:

Standard header line. ASCII mode: The printer treats all incoming data as ASCII commands in this mode.

Graphics mode: All incoming data is treated as binary graphics. (See

Graphics mode for further

details.)

Background header line. ASCII background mode: Same as ! mode, except does not immediately print labels (see below).

Graphics background mode: Same as graphics mode, except does not immediately print labels.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Clear background header line. (ASCII or GRAPHICS): Turns off background mode, recombining the foreground and background memory buffers. Does not clear memory.

Reuse header line. New start sequence - plots a label over an existing label without erasing the previous label. (See also

AREA_CLEAR command.)

Automatic header line. Same as !, except remaining header line parameters are not required. The printer sets x to zero, dottime to 100, calculates MaxY, and sets numlbls to zero. MaxY is calculated based on the location of the last plotted row in the image buffer. Use this header line with the

QUANTITY command. This

header can be used for labels up to 6 inches long. The actual label length is calculated based on the position of the last plotted row in the image buffer.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

X starting position for label. Older printers used this parameter to position labels horizontally so two labels could be printed side-by-side. Always set x equal to zero in any printers that support the MULTIPLE command. High speed Barcode Blaster printers automatically limit their print speed to 3 IPS when x is nonzero.

dottime

Determines how long the printhead dots stay hot, thereby changing the dot length. Values can range from 0 to 255, but values less than 30 are treated as 30. The dot time will increment in steps of 10 when operating in linear dot time mode (see the VARIABLE MODE command). The specified dot time is rounded down to the nearest step.

NOTE: Dot time values that result in aspect ratios less than 0.8 may cause poor print quality. Dot times under 100 automatically disable high speed printing. Some printers only support dot time 100. Refer to Table 1.

Printer Command Compatibility for

more information.

maxY

Specifies how many dot rows are memory-mapped for each label max Y must be large enough to map all label components, but not so large that it causes memory overflow or label skipping.

numlbls

Sets the quantity of labels to be printed by the label format. The allowable range is 0 to 65535.

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Comments The ASCII background and graphics background

modes do not print labels immediately. Background mode splits the printer memory into two segments: the foreground and background memory buffers. Data sent via background mode resides in the background buffer and prints when the next label format containing foreground data reaches the printer. Background data stays in memory until intentionally cleared.

All label formats require a header line. The header line precedes all other commands in the label format, with the exception of the printer wake-up string (if used).

NOTE: A few ASCII commands, such as the QUERY

STATUS command, replace the normal header line.

These cases are noted in their command descriptions.

Header line parameters are critical for proper printing. For most ASCII label formats you can "rough-in" header line values as follows:

Use ! for ASCII foreground printing.

Use 0 for the X starting position.

Use a dot time of 100 for an aspect ratio of 1:1 in linear dot time mode.

Determine an approximate maxY value by multiplying the label length (or desired label length, for cutter equipped printers) by the print pitch and then reducing the value by 10%. For dot times other than 100, divide the result by the aspect ratio (dot time divided by 100).

See also Graphics mode, LOGO mode, Wake-up string

Example

! 0 100 60 13 COMMENT ASCII FOREGROUND, X START=0, COMMENT DOTTIME=100, MAX Y=60, 13 LABELS

INDEX

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Function Enables automatic label indexing. When printing is

finished the printer feeds the label stock until the next label's first dot row is positioned under the printhead burn line (based on the position of the label's indexing cue; i.e., the black bar or gap location). This is the default operating mode. Label indexing remains on unless disabled with a

NOINDEX command.

IMPORTANT!

Do not use this command when using continuous-form media. Continuous-form media has no indexing cues and will feed continuously if automatic label indexing is enabled.

Explicit Form

Implicit Form

INDEX

Parameters None

NOTE: Because INDEX positions the first dot row of the next label at the burn line, with butt-cut label stock the label perforation may be under the edge of the print head. The exact index position may vary slightly from printer to printer due to calibration differences. The

POSITION command can adjust the index position.

See also

Do not use PITCH more than once in any label format. Multiple PITCH commands may produce unusual effects.

NOTE: Place the PITCH command after the header line but before any commands that locate label components, such as printers will always default to their highest pitch with each new label format unless explicitly set to a lower pitch.

STRING or BARCODE. Portable

VARIABLE PITCH

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Example

! 0 100 90 1 PITCH 200 JUSTIFY CENTER ULTRA_FONT B20 (5,0,0) 400 10 UFONT B20 AT

200 PITCH END ! 0 100 45 1 PITCH 100 JUSTIFY CENTER ULTRA_FONT B20 (5,0,0) 200 10 UFONT B20 AT

100 PITCH END

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

PRINT TEST LABEL

Function Causes the printer to print a test label that displays

most of the current configuration settings. This is the same label that prints out when the feed button is pressed at power up.

Explicit Form

!PRINT TESTLABEL

Parameters None

Comments This command does not require a header line, but

must be followed by a line feed (or carriage return and line feed). Do not use any other commands with

PRINT TEST LABEL.

Ultra Font B is used to print the test label. If this object does not exist in the printer memory then this command will have no affect.

Example

!PRINT TESTLABEL

IMPORTANT!

Use this command exactly as shown in the example. Do not use other commands with the

PRINT TEST

LABEL command.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

QUANTITY

Function Sets the quantity of labels to be printed by the label

format.

Explicit Form

QUANTITY numlabels

Implicit Form

QY numlabels

Parameters numlabels is equal to the number of labels printed

by the label format. The allowable range is 0 to

65535.

Comments Using this command is functionally identical to

specifying the number of labels in the header line, but offers the programmer some added flexibility since numlabels can be a variable. The QUANTITY command also lets the programmer specify the number of labels to print when using the automatic header line (!A) feature.

NOTE: The number of labels printed is the last quantity specified; therefore, the quantity specified by

QUANTITY takes precedence over the quantity

specified in the header line.

Status Query Response Messages

Status Type Prog

Guide

Ready R R R R Printhead Hot Head Up U U U U Motor Hot M H Parse Error A A e Paper Out O O O O Ribbon Out o o o o Programming F F Halted W W W W Hex dump X X Printing (printing in process, or printer paused during batch mode processing) Background image is present Low Battery L L L EEPROM Error Error (only upon a checksum error) Charging C C* C Cutter Error Serial Error Integrity Error Download Error Sleep Z Off Z

H H H H

P P P P

B B

E e E*

E**

c c c*

S S* S*

I I*

D D D*

Advantage C-

Series /DLX

Code Ranger

The printer can send the following status messages to the host computer when it is queried:

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Background. This is the status if there is a valid image in the background memory buffer and no print tasks are pending.

Charging (applicable only to portable printers). The printer battery is charging and no print tasks are pending. The printer sends this message once per second if USER_FEEDBACK is ON.

Ready. The printer has no pending print tasks, is not charging, and the background buffer is empty.

The printer can send many other status messages to the host in response to error conditions, but the printer communications port will go busy in the event of a printer error. Therefore, the printer will send the following error messages but will not respond to the QUERY STATUS command if these errors occur:

(lowercase letter C) Cutter error (applicable only to cutter equipped printers). The label cutter is jammed or not working correctly.

Download error. An error has occurred while attempting to load new firmware.

EEPROM error. This error will occur when printer is first turned on if the EEPROM checksum is invalid.

Hot printhead. This error will occur if the printhead thermal cycles.

Nonvolatile memory failure.

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STANDARD PRINTER COMMANDS

Low battery. The printer sends this message eight times per second if it detects a low power condition and USER_FEEDBACK is ON. The printer will send this message once regardless of the USER_FEEDBACK state if the power drops below the normal operating voltage level (for example, when the power is switched off).

Out of paper. The printer sends this message eight times per second if it runs out of paper and USER_FEEDBACK is ON.

(lowercase letter O) Out of ribbon or ribbon stalled. (Only reported by TT printers capable of detecting a stalled ribbon.) The printer sends this message eight times per second if it runs out of ribbon and USER_FEEDBACK is ON.

Printing in process, or printer paused during batch mode processing.

Serial port communications error.

Printhead Up. The printhead is not fully closed.

Waiting. The printer is paused during a batch printing operation.

Revision F, January 2012, CognitiveTPG 91

CognitiveTPG DLXi User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Label Format Organization

Command Syntax

Important Programming Rules

Related Publications

Printer Models

Compatibility Tables

Table 1. Printer Command Compatibility (CPL only)

Table 2. Printer Set-up and Diagnostic

Table 3. Printer Bar Code Support

Table 4. Printer Font Support

Standard Printer Command List

Status Query Response Messages