Datamax DGL User Manual

Printer Protocol Interpreter (PPI) DGL™

Programmer’s Reference Manual for DGL,

a Datamax® DPL™ Printer Protocol Interpreter

Thermal Series Printers

Printer Protocol Interpreter (PPI) DGL

Programmer’s Reference Manual for DGL, a Datamax DPL Printer Protocol Interpreter

Thermal Series Printers

Trademark Acknowledgments

DPL is a trademark and Datamax is a registered trademark of Datamax Technologies Corporation.

PPI is a trademark of Printronix, Inc.

Printronix and PSA are registered trademarks of Printronix, Inc.

COPYRIGHT © 2006 PRINTRONIX, INC.

All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

1	Introduction .........................................................	11
	About This Manual...............................................................................	11
	Coax/Twinax Interface Requirements ...........................................	11
	PPI/DGL SETUP Menu........................................................................	12
	PPI/DGL SETUP Submenu...........................................................	13
	Active ......................................................................................	13
	Character Set..........................................................................	13
	Euro Character .......................................................................	14
	Control Codes.........................................................................	14
	Feedback Chars .....................................................................	14
	Default Module........................................................................	14
	Units of Measure.....................................................................	14
	Row Offset ..............................................................................	15
	Column Offset.........................................................................	15
	Format Attrib. ..........................................................................	15
	Error Handling.........................................................................	15
	Vertical DPI Adjust..................................................................	16
	Command Ignore Menus ........................................................	16
	Length Cmd (STXc) ................................................................	16
	Heat Cmd (H)..........................................................................	16
	Speed CMD (P,S) ...................................................................	16
	Cut Cmd (o,:,c) .......................................................................	16
	Soft Switch (V) ........................................................................	16
	Sensor Cmd (e,r) ....................................................................	16
	Format Attr.(A) ........................................................................	16
2	Fully Supported Commands ...............................	17
	System-Level Command Functions ..............................................	17
	STX A - Set Time and Date ....................................................	17
	STX a - Enable Feedback Characters ....................................	17
	STX B - Get Printer Time and Date Information .....................	17
	STX c - Set Continuous Paper Length....................................	17
	STX E - Set Quantity For Stored Label...................................	17
	STX e - Select Edge Sensor...................................................	17
	STX F - Form Feed.................................................................	18
	STX G - Print Last Label Format ............................................	18

Table of Contents

STX I - Input Image Data ........................................................		18
STX i - Downloading Scalable Fonts ......................................		18
STX K - Extended-System Commands ..................................		18
STX KE - Character Encoding ................................................		18
STX k - Test RS-232 Port .......................................................		18
STX L - Enter Label-Formatting Command ............................		18
STX m - Set Printer To Metric.................................................		19
STX n - Set Printer to Imperial (Inches)..................................		19
STX o - Cycle Cutter...............................................................		19
STX Q - Clear All Modules......................................................		19
STX q - Clear Module .............................................................		19
STX r - Select Reflective Sensor ............................................		19
STX S - Set Feed Rate ...........................................................		19
STX U - Label Format Field Replacement..............................		19
STX V - Software Settings ......................................................		20
STX v - Print Firmware Version Information ...........................		20
STX W - Request Memory Module Information ......................		20
STX X - Set Default Module....................................................		20
STX x - Delete File from Module.............................................		20
STX y - Select Font Symbol Set .............................................		20
Label Formatting Command Functions .........................................		20
: - Set Cut By Amount .............................................................		20
+ (>) Make Last Field Entered Increment Numeric
(Alphanumeric) .......................................................................		21
- (<) Make Last Field Entered Decrement Numeric
(Alphanumeric) .......................................................................		21
^ Set Count by Amount...........................................................		21
A - Set Format Attribute ..........................................................		21
B - Barcode Magnification.......................................................		21
C - Set Column Offset Amount ...............................................		21
c - Set Cut By Amount ............................................................		22
D - Set Dot Size Width and Height .........................................		22
E - Terminate Label Formatting Mode and Print Label...........		22
F - Advanced Font Attributes ..................................................		22
FB	+/- Turns Bolding on or off ...............................................	22
FI	+/- Turns Italicizing on or off ..............................................	22
FU	+/- Turns Underlining on or off .........................................	22
FPn Points .............................................................................		22
FSn Points .............................................................................		22
G - Place Data in Global Register...........................................		22
H - Enter Heat Setting.............................................................		23
m Set Metric Mode..................................................................		23

Table of Contents

n Set Inch Mode (Imperial) .....................................................	23
P Set Print Speed ...................................................................	23
Q Set Quantity Of Labels To Print ..........................................	23
R Set Row Offset Amount.......................................................	23
r Recall Stored Label Format..................................................	23
S Set Slew Rate......................................................................	24
s Store Label Format In Module .............................................	24
T Set Field Data Line Terminator............................................	24
U Make Previous Field A String Replace Field.......................	24
X Terminate Label-Formatting Mode ......................................	24
y Select Font Symbol Set .......................................................	24
z Zero (Ø) Conversion to “0”...................................................	24
STX S Recall Global Data And Place In Field ........................	25
STX T Print Time and Date.....................................................	25
Font Loading Command Functions ...............................................	25
ESC *c###D - Assign Font ID Number ...................................	25
ESC )s###W - Font Descriptor ...............................................	25
ESC *c###E - Character Code ...............................................	25
ESC (s#W - Character Download Data ..................................	25
Barcode Symbologies ...................................................................	25
3 Command Enhancements And Differences........	27
SOH # - Reset ........................................................................	27
SOH *- Reset ..........................................................................	27
SOH A - Send ASCII Status String .........................................	27
SOH B - Toggle Pause ...........................................................	27
SOH C - Stop/Cancel..............................................................	27
SOH D - SOH Shutdown ........................................................	27
SOH E - Send Batch Quantity ................................................	28
SOH F - Send Status Byte......................................................	28
SOH U - Update System Database with Current Database ...	28
STX J - Set Pause for Each Label ..........................................	28
STX KC - Get Configuration ...................................................	28
STX Kc - Configuration Set.....................................................	28
STX Kd - Set File as Factory Default......................................	28
STX KF - Select Factory Defaults...........................................	29
STX Kf - Set Present Distance ...............................................	29
STX Kp - Module Protection ...................................................	29
STX KQ - Query Memory Configuration .................................	29
STX Kq - Query Memory Configuration (new format).............	29
STX Kr - Resettable Counter Reset........................................	29
STX KV - Verifier Enable/Disable ...........................................	29

Table of Contents

STX Kx - Delete Configuration File.........................................	29
STX Kb - Backfeed Time Delay ..............................................	30
STX K- - Top of Form, Offset Distance...................................	30
STX KD Database Configuration ............................................	30
STX KI - GPIO Input ...............................................................	30
STX KM - Configure Internal Memory Module Size................	30
STX KO - GPIO Output...........................................................	30
STX KR - Reset Memory Configuration..................................	30
STX KS - Configure Scalable Font Cache Size......................	30
STX KW - Configure Print Width Size.....................................	30
STX M - Set Maximum Label Length......................................	30
STX O - Set Start of Print (SOP) Position...............................	30
STX P - Character (HEX) Dump Mode ...................................	31
STX p - Controlled Pause .......................................................	31
STX R - Ribbon Saver On/Off.................................................	31
STX T - Printhead Dot Pattern Test Label ..............................	31
STX t - Test RAM Memory Module.........................................	31
STX w - Test Flash Memory Module ......................................	31
STX Y - Output Sensor Values ...............................................	31
STX Z - Print Internal Information ...........................................	32
STX z - Pack Module ..............................................................	32
STX b - Set Cutter signal time ................................................	32
STX C - Copy Module.............................................................	32
STX D - Memory Dump (Test Mode Only)..............................	32
STX d - Set Printer to double buffer mode..............................	32
STX g - Internal Batch Software Mode ...................................	32
STX N - Enter Internal Batch ..................................................	32
STX s - Set Printer to single buffer mode ...............................	32
e - Recall Printer Configuration...............................................	32
f - Set Present Speed .............................................................	33
M - Select Mirror Mode ...........................................................	33
p - Set Label Backup Speed ...................................................	33
W - Wait mode (Prodigy only).................................................	33
Z - Zip Mode (Prodigy only) ....................................................	33
Print Area................................................................................	33
Fonts.......................................................................................	34
Slash Zero ..............................................................................	36
Codepages .............................................................................	37
Barcode Symbologies.............................................................	38
Images ....................................................................................	40
Graphics - Supported graphics objects:..................................	40
Flash / Ram Module compatibility...........................................	40

Table of Contents

	Bi-Directional Communications...............................................	41
	Cutter Commands...................................................................	41
	Emulations ..............................................................................	42
	Printer Configuration...............................................................	42
	Command Reference..............................................................	42
A	Configuration Setting Compatibility.....................	45
B	Contact Information.............................................	53
	Printronix Customer Support Center....................................................	53
	Printronix Supplies Department ...........................................................	53
	Corporate Offices.................................................................................	54

Table of Contents

1 Introduction

About This Manual

This manual explains the differences between the Printer Protocol Interpreter Datamax Graphic Language (DGL) Utility and the Datamax® DPL™ language. Use this manual with your SL500r/T5000r User’s Manual for complete printerprotocol operation.

NOTE: When substituting a Datamax printer with an SL5000r/T5000r printer, refer to DGL Menu Conversions on page 45.

Coax/Twinax Interface Requirements

If you are using a coax or twinax interface, you must select the correct control code in the DGL configuration menu. Refer to the Coax/Twinax Programmer’s Reference Manual and your printer User’s Manual for instructions on how to select the appropriate control code.

11

Chapter 1 PPI/DGL SETUP Menu

PPI/DGL SETUP Menu

PPI/DGL SETUP

Active

Character Set

Euro Character

Yes*

No

PC-8 CP437*

Roman 8

Spanish

Swedish

English

Ascii

Win3.0 Latin 1

Win3.1 Latin 1

Win3.1 Latin 2

Win3.1 Latin 5

Danish/Norweg.

8859-1 Latin 1

8859-2 Latin 2

8859-5 Latin 5

French

German

Italian

Legal

Code Page 852

Code page 850

128* (0..255)

Control Codes
			Standard*		Alternate

CC: <SOH>1			1* (0..255)
CC: <STX>1			2* (0..255)
CC: <CR>1			13* (0..255)
CC: <ESC>1			27* (0..255)
CC: <CNT>1			94* (0..255)
Feedback Chars			Enabled					Disabled*
Default Module			RAM*					Flash
Units of Measure			Imperial*					Metric
(Continued on next
page)

Alternate2 User-Defined

Notes:

* = Factory Default.

1These menus are only present when ‘User Defined’ is selected in the ‘Control Codes’ menu.

2These menus are only present when ‘Admin User’ is set to ‘Enable’ in the ‘PRINTER CONTROL’ menu.

12

PPI/DGL SETUP Submenu

PPI/DGL SETUP

Notes:

Con’t

* = Factory Default.

1 These menus are only present when ‘User Defined’ is

selected in the ‘Control Codes’ menu.

2 These menus are only present when ‘Admin User’ is set to

‘Enable’ in the ‘PRINTER CONTROL’ menu.

Row Offset

0* (0-99.99 Inch

Column Offset

0* (0-99.99 inch

Format Attrib.

XOR*

Transparent

Opaque

Error Handling

Off*

Report

Beep

Vert. DPI Adjust2

0* (-100 to 100 dots)

Length CMD (STXc)2

Process*

Ignore

Heat CMD (H)2

Process*

Ignore

Speed CMD (P,S)2

Process*

Ignore

Cut CMD (o,:,c)2

Process*

Ignore

Soft. Switch (V)2

Process*

Ignore

Sensor Cmd (e,r)2

Process*

Ignore

Format Attr. (A)2

Process*

Ignore

PPI/DGL SETUP Submenu

Active

This setting determines if the DGL parser should process all incoming data or pass all the data to the underlying emulation.

•Yes. DGL is active; processes all DPL commands.

•No. DGL is inactive; data is processed by underlying emulation. The default is Yes.

Character Set

Allows the operator to select the character set.

13

Chapter 1 PPI/DGL SETUP Menu

Euro Character

Allows the operator to select the position of the Euro character in the code page.

Control Codes

Allows the operator to change the prefix of the software commands interpreted by the printer.

	S O H	S T X	C R	E S C	‘C o u n t B y ’
S ta n d a rd	0 x 0 1	0 x 0 2	0 x 0 D	0 x 1 B	0 x 5 E
A ltern a te	0 x 5 E	0 x 7 E	0 x 0 D	0 x 1 B	0 x 4 0
A ltern a te 2	0 x 5 E	0 x 7 E	0 x 7 C	0 x 1 B	0 x 4 0
U ser -D efin ed	0 x 0 1	0 x 0 2	0 x 0 D	0 x 1 B	0 x 5 E

When ‘User-Defined’ is selected, 5 additional sub-menus are inserted in the menu tree. These sub-menus allow the user to set a value for each of the control codes. The default ‘User-Defined’ values are shown in the table above.

Feedback Chars

When enabled, the printer returns a Hex 1E [RS] after each label successfully prints, and Hex 1F [US] after each batch of labels is printed.

For invalid characters, the printer responds with Hex 07 [BEL].

•Enabled. Feedback characters are sent to the host.

•Disabled. No feedback characters are sent.

The default is Disabled.

Default Module

Sets the default module used to store files when no module or default module is specified in the command. (See Chapter 3 for further details.)

.

•RAM.

•Flash.

The default is RAM.

Units of Measure

Sets the printer to interpret measurements as Imperial or Metric values.

•Imperial.

•Metric.

The default is Imperial.

NOTE: <STX>n and <STX>m commands override this setting, and stay in effect until the printer is take Offline and back Online.

14

PPI/DGL SETUP Submenu

Row Offset

Shifts the vertical start of the print position. This is the user setting for row adjustment.

• 0 (0 to 99.99 Inch or 999.9 mm)

The default is 0.

NOTE: The Label Formatting command [R] only temporarily overrides this setting; it reverts back to this setting after the current label format is finished.

Column Offset

Shifts the horizontal, left-justified start of the print position to the right without shifting the Label Width termination point to the right. This is the user setting for row adjustment.

• 0 (0 to 99.99 Inch or 999.9 mm)

The default is 0.

NOTE: The Label Formatting command [C] only temporarily overrides this setting; it reverts back to this setting after the current label format is finished.

Format Attrib.

Affects the manner in which overlapping text and graphics are treated as the label is printed.

•XOR. Intersecting text strings, images, and barcodes print on top of one another.

•Transparent. Intersecting text strings, images, and bar codes will not be printed. (An odd number of overlapping objects will print.)

•Opaque. Intersecting text strings, images, and barcodes are obliterated by those formatted last. Each character cell is treated as opaque.

The default is XOR.

Error Handling

This setting defines how the emulation handles errors detected in the data stream. For all selections, data processing will not be aborted when errors are detected: labels will be printed as good as possible. Commands containing errors will be ignored.

•Off. No signal to the user when errors are detected.

•Report. The printer will beep when one or more errors are detected, and the first command that contains an error is shown on the printer’s LCD in mnemonic form.

•Beep. The printer will beep once if one or more errors are detected. The default is Off.

15

Chapter 1 PPI/DGL SETUP Menu

Vertical DPI Adjust

This option fine adjusts the resolution used to scale the page elements/ coordinates. In cases where the printed label length is incorrect, the vertical resolution value DGL uses for calculations can be fine adjusted by this menu between -100 and +100. Negative values result in a lower DPI value and thus a longer label. Positive values result in a higher DPI value, and thus a shorter label. Note that this adjustment does not affect the size of images and downloaded bitmap fonts.

• 0 (-100 to +100).

The default is 0.

Command Ignore Menus

The Admin User menus allow ignoring of several configuration commands in the host data. This allows using their corresponding front-panel settings, without being overridden by host commands.

The default is to process all commands.

Length Cmd (STXc)

Allows the user to disable the Length Command.

Heat Cmd (H)

Allows the user to disable the Heat Command.

Speed CMD (P,S)

.Allows the user to disable the speed commands (Print, Feed, and Reverse).

Cut Cmd (o,:,c)

Allows the user to disable the commands affecting the cutter.

Soft Switch (V)

Allows the user to disable the ‘Software Switch Settings’ Command (this command enables Cut or Tear-Off mode, or disables both by selecting Continuous mode).

Sensor Cmd (e,r)

Allows the user to disable the commands that select the Gap / Mark sensor (<STX>e and <STX>r).

Format Attr.(A)

Allow the user to disable the commands that select the Format Attribute.

16

2 Fully Supported

Commands

System-Level Command Functions

STX A - Set Time and Date

This command sets the time and date. The initial setting of the date will be stored in the printer’s internal memory. This date can be verified by printing a configuration label.

STX a - Enable Feedback Characters

This command enables the feedback ASCII HEX characters 07, 1E, and 1F to be returned from the printer following specific events.

STX B - Get Printer Time and Date Information

This command retrieves the time and date information from the printer and transmits the response to a host device. See <STX>A for details and restrictions.

STX c - Set Continuous Paper Length

This command is used to define the page (label) size when printing on continuous media. It disables the media sensor top-of-form function but continues to monitor paper-out conditions.

STX E - Set Quantity For Stored Label

This command sets the number of labels to print for the label format currently stored in the print buffer. (The printer automatically stores the most recent label format in the buffer until the printer is reset or turned ‘Off’.) To print, this command is used in conjunction with the <STX>G command.

STX e - Select Edge Sensor

This command enables “see-through” sensing for top-of-form detection of diecut and notched media. The printer’s transmissive media sensor will detect a minimum gap of 0.05 inches (1.27mm) between labels. Label stock must be at least 0.1 inches (2.5mm) between each top-of-form (start of print point on the next label).

17