Datamax-O'Neil PrintPAD AN-07 User Manual

AN-07

December 5, 2005

OVERVIEW OF THERMAL EASY PRINT PRINTING

If your print job is more than a succession of lines of text, you might want to consider Easy Print. This control language
alternative to Line Printer mode permits not only text but also bar codes, stored graphics, rotated images and rotated
fields within those images – plus a lot more. Easy print was designed to be minimally cryptic – once your job is encoded,
as a human you should be able to read the control codes in the job and know what the printed image will look like.

To send any command, including the print command, in Easy Print, you must first sen
(0x1b 0x45 0x5A). The printer will then remain in Easy Print until (1) it falls asleep, (2) it is reset, or (3) a command to
switch to another

All Easy Print commands begin with the opening curly brace “{“ (0x7B) and end with the closing curly brace “}” (0x7D).
Inside the b
follows the command. The general form of all Easy Print commands is:
{[COMMAND]<:DATA>}

To print using Easy Print, the command is PRINT a
be printed (whether the “thing” is text, bar code, or graphic). Optional global parameters affect the entire print job:

Each field, regardless of what is to be printed is virtual
@ROW,COL:NAME<FIELD PARAMETERS>

Each field can be modified by a set of “Field Parameters” that ca
rotate the field 90 degrees to the left or right, or rotate 180 degrees. And the field can be printed inverse (i.e. white on
black rather than black on white).

races is the command. If any data is required, a colon “:” (0x3A) separates command from data, and the data

nd the DATA is a succession of descriptors for each field, or “thing” to

{PRINT<,GLOBALPARAMETERS>:
[FIELD 1]
[FIELD 2]

•

•

•
[FIELD n]
}

ly identical. Each FIELD has the form:

|DATA|

Begins with an “@” (0x40)
Is followed by WHERE the data is to be printed (ROW,COL

colon “:” (0x3A)

That is followed by HOW is to be printed (NAME)
That is followed by WHAT is to be printed which is the

graphics). Data is always delimited by a vertical bar (0x7C) before and after the data. If no data is required,
as in the case of stored graphics and lines, then only a single vertical bar is required

Optionally, a comma “,” (0x2C) can follow HOW to be printed for m

FIELD

n increase the height and or the width of the field, can

). The row and column are always followed by a

DATA to be printed (except for the case of stored

d the three byte command ESC EZ

odifiers (or “field parameters”) for that

FIELD PARAMETERS

GENERAL

INVERSE (I) Adding the word “INVERSE” or the letter “I” will cause whatever the field to be printed WHITE on
HMULT nn (HM nn) The “HMULT” or “HM” parameter will multiply the field nn times horizontally. If nn = 2, then the field

VMULT nn (VM nn) The “VMULT” or “VM” parameter will multiply the field nn times vertically. If nn = 2, then the field is

ROT90 Specifying “ROT90” will rotate just that field by 90 degrees counterclockwise. Fields are rotated
ROT180 Specifying “ROT180” will rotate just that field by 180 degrees. Fields are rotated about the point
ROT270 Specifying “ROT270” will rotate just that field by 90 degrees clockwise. Fields are rotated about the

BAR CODES

WIDE nn (W nn) The WIDE parameter is used to change the density of the bar code. By default and unless otherwise

HIGH nn (H nn) The HIGH parameter is used to change the height of the bar code. By default, bar codes are 5

PDF417 BAR CODE

COLUMNS Use this parameter to override the default fit of 2 columns for the PDF-417 bar code to specify the

SECURITY n Use this parameter to override the default security settings (defaults are 1-40 characters -> level 2;

XDIM n By default, the X dimension is 1 dot at .005” per dot. The value of n can be used to increase this to

YDIM n By default, the Y dimension is 1 dot at .005” per dot. The value of n can be used to increase this to

LINES

LENGTH nnn (L nnn) The length of the line is specified in units of one dot, or .005”. A line LENGTH of 100 is
THICK nnn (T nnn) The thickness of the line is specified in units of one dot, or .005”. A line THICKNESS of 1 is .005”, a

BLACK instead of the more conventional black on white
is printed double wide. If nn = 3 then the field is printed triple wide. The value for nn must be an

integer (1, 2, 3, 4, etc. up to 255)
printed double high. If nn = 3, then the field is printed triple high. The value for nn must be an

integer (1,2,3,4, etc. up to 255)
about the point given in the ROW,COL coordinates
given in the ROW.COL coordinates
point given in the ROW, COL coordinates.

specified, the narrow element is .005”. The WIDE parameter is similar to HMULT in that it can
multiply that width by nn times horizontally. If nn = 2, then all horizontal dimensions of the bar code
are increased by 2x and the narrow bar is .010”. If bb=3 all horizontal dimensions increase by a
factor of 3 etc.

dotlines or .025” high. The HIGH parameter is similar to VMULT in that it can multiply that height by
nn times vertically. If nn = 2, then the bar code is .050” high. If nn = 20, then the bar code is 0.5”
high. If nn = 40 the bar code is 1” high.

actual number of data columns being printed across any given line of the bar code. The number of
columns that will fit across a page is dependent upon the page width as well as the X and Y
dimensions of each block (see XDIM and YDIM)

40-160 characters -> level 3; 161-320 characters -> level 4 and 321-863 characters -> level 5. By
specifying the value of n, you can change the number of codewords used to protect the data:

n = 1 -> Level 1 adds 4 codewords
n = 2 -> Level 2 adds 8 codewords
n = 3 -> Level 3 adds 16 codewords
n = 4 -> Level 4 adds 32 codewords
n = 5 -> Level 5 adds 64 codewords
n = 6 -> Level 6 adds 128 codewords
n = 7 -> Level 7 adds 256 codewords
n = 8 -> Level 8 adds 512 codewords

.010” (n = 2), .015” (n = 3) etc. A commonly used value for the XDIM is 2, with the YDIM being 3
times that set for X

.010” (n = 2), .015” (n = 3) etc. A commonly used value for the YDIM is 6, with the XDIM being 1/3
that set for Y

approximately 1/2” long; a line LENGTH of 200 is approximately 1” long
line thickness of 2 is .010” etc.

And just as the field can be modified, the entire image can b

e modified through “Global Parameters”. The image can be
rotated 90 degrees (landscape) so that the left hand edge of the image emerges from the printer first. And you can
specify that you are using media with QMARKs or Interlabel gap (depending upon the printer), so the printer will stop
properly and automatically align with each label printed.

GLOBAL PARAMETERS

BACK nnn Sets the printer to backup nnn dotlines before beginning to print
JOBSTATUS Turns Job Status Reporting ON for an Easy Print Job (see separate Job Status Reporting

document). Version 6.68 and later

QSTOP nnn Sets the printer to stop nnn dotlines after a QMARK is detected on the TOP of the media. This

parameter is for printers with a sensor for the TOP of the media (MF2, MF3, original 2t, 4t). If
specified as part of a print job, this will override the configured values. Each dotline is .005” and
typical value is around 95-125, but may be more or less depending upon the location of the QMARK.

QSTOPB nnn Sets the printer to stop nnn dotlines after a QMARK is detected on the BACK of the media. This

parameter is for printers with a sensor for the back of the media (LP3). If specified as part of a print
job, this will override the configured values. Each dotline is .005” and typical value is around 95-125,
but may be more or less depending upon the location of the QMARK. Each dotline is .005” and
typical value is around 95-125, but may be more or less depending upon the location of the QMARK.

QSTOP nnn Sets the printer to stop nnn dotlines after a QMARK is detected on the TOP of the media. This

parameter is for printers with a sensor for the TOP of the media (MF2, MF3, original 2t, 4t). If
specified as part of a print job, this will override the configured values. Each dotline is .005” and
typical value is around 95-125, but may be more or less depending upon the location of the QMARK.

QSTOPB nnn Sets the printer to stop nnn dotlines after a QMARK is detected on the BACK of the media. This

parameter is for printers with a sensor for the back of the media (LP3). If specified as part of a print
job, this will override the configured values. Each dotline is .005” and typical value is around 95-125,
but may be more or less depending upon the location of the QMARK. Each dotline is .005” and
typical value is around 95-125, but may be more or less depending upon the location of the QMARK.

QSTOPG nnn Sets the printer to stop nnn dotlines after an interlabel gap is detected. This parameter is for printers

with sensors for the TOP and BACK of the media (LP3). If specified as part a print job, this will
override the configured values. Each dotline is .005” and typical value is around 95-125, but may be
more or less.