Monarch 9425, 9445, 9465, 9474 Programmer's Manual

Monarch 9400™ Series

Thermal Printe r

Programmer’s Manual

TC9400PM Rev. A 8/90 ©1990 Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Each product and program carries a respective written
warranty, the only warranty on which the c ustomer can rel y.
Monarch reserves the rig ht to make changes in the product
and the programs and their availability at any time and without
notice. Although Monarch has made every effort to provide
comple te and accurate information in thi s manual, Monarch
shall not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies. Any
update will be incorporated in a late edition of this manual.

CAUTION

This equipment can interfere with radio communication.
The equipment complies with limits for a Cla ss A
computi ng device pursuant to FCC Rules, Subpart J, Part
15, which pr ovide reasonable protection against such
interference when operated in a commercial environment.
Operation in a residenti al area can cause interference
which the user must correct at his own expense.

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits
for radio noise for digital apparatus set out in the Radio
Inter ference Regul ations of the C anadian Department of
Communications.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.....................................................................1-1

2. Overview..........................................................................2-1

3. Communication Requirements......................................3-1

Input Characteristics ..................................................3-1

Data Flow Control ..........................................3-2

Setting Communication Values..................................3-3

Cable Interface...........................................................3-5

4. Message Structures........................................................4-1

Creating Online Data Stre ams...................................4-1

Transmitt in g Online Data Streams.............................4-1

Error Notificatio n ........................................................4 -3

Monetary Symbols..................................................... 4- 4

Commands.................................................................4 -5

Programming Conventions ............................4-5

Format Data...............................................................4-6

Format Header Record..................................4-7

Te xt Fiel d Record..................................................... 4-10

Bar Code Field R ec ord.............................................4-14

Line Field..................................................................4-21

Batch Data................................................................4 -26

Batch Header Record...................................4-26

Entering Print Data for Fields.......................4-30

Using Multiple Batches with One Format.....4-32

Using Previously Defined Print Data............4-32

Batch Separators .........................................4-33

Table of Contents

i

5. Using Graphics................................................................5-1

Defining Graphic Image Data .....................................5-1

Placi ng the Image in a Format................................... 5-8

Clear Image Buff er.......................................5-11

Compressing the Data Stream.....................5-12

6. Quick References............................................................6-1

Te xt Font Sizes...........................................................6- 1

9425/9445/9465/9474 Fonts..........................6-1

9420/9440 Fonts ............................................6-3

Character Width (in Dots) ..........................................6-3

Parallel Character Width (in Dots) for the 9425,

9445, and 9474..............................................6 -4

Serial Character Wid th (in D ots) for 9465......6-4

Parallel Character Width (in Dots) for 9465 .. 6-5
Parallel Character Width (in Dots) for

9420/9440 Fonts ............................................6-5

Serial Character Width (in D ots) for

9420/9440 Fonts ............................................6-6

Bar Codes ......................................................6-6

Bar Code Densi ties........................................6-7

Bar Code Densi ties (9425/9445/9474) ...........6-8

Bar Code Densi ties (9420/9440)....................6-9

Bar Code Densities (9465, Parallel Print)....6-10

Bar Code Densities (9465, Serial Print)....... 6-11

Line Width................................................................6-12

Line Widths (9425/9445/9474 and

9420/9440)...................................................6-12

Horizontal Line Widt hs (9465)......................6-13

Vertical Line Widths ( 9465).......................... 6-14

Special Characters...................................................6-15

Code 128 Function Code s.......................................6-15

9420/9440 Horizontal Print Location........................6-16

ASCII Characters.....................................................6-18

English/Metric Conversion .......................................6-20

English/Metric Conversion (cont.)............................6-21

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

ii

Appendix A: Sample Data Strea ms...................................A-1

Formats, Text and Bar Code Fields ...........................A-1

Line Fields..................................................................A-2

Graphic Images..........................................................A -3

Compressed Graphic Data ........................................A-5

Appen dix B: Code 128 Information...................................B-1

Bar Code Width..........................................................B-2

Quiet Zone..................................................................B-4

Function Codes..........................................................B-5

Ta ble A-1 . 128 Bar Code Ch a racte r Sets..................B-6

Index...............................................................................Index-1

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

iii

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

iv

1. Introduction

This manual tells you how to enter onl i ne formats and batch
data for downloading to Monarch 9400™ series print ers.

The following printers are covered by this manual.

• 9425

• 9445

• 9465

• 9474

Other manuals you may need are

Equipment Manual

Contains general setup and
maintenance proced ures.

Operator’s Handbook

Explains data entry and batch
control for offline printing.

User’s Manual

Tells about creat i ng and entering
offline formats.

To get the best perform ance from your printer, read the
documents that tell you how to use it. If you have any
questions or problems you can’t solve, we’ll be glad to help.

Introduction

1-1

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

1-2

2. Overview

The 9400 Series Thermal Printer can receive print data online
from a host computer. During online communication, the host
computer treats the printer as an RS-23 2 ty pe pri nter. For the
printer to communicate online, you will need an RS-232 cable.
For mainframe communication, you may need a protocol
converter.

To transmit data from the host com puter requires
communication controls for the download operatio n. Refer to
the next section, "Communication Requirements."

Three types of data ca n be transmitted:
Format data The user-designed lay out for online

formats. These formats are used by online
batches for printing.

NOTE: These online formats can also be

used offline. However, formats
created offline cannot be used
online.

Batch data Contains the format number and actual

data to be printed on the supply. Batch
data is downloaded to the printer and
combined with a for m at stored in the printer.

Graphic data Contains the actual pix el data which forms

a graphic image.

NOTE: Format, batch, and graphic data are stored when you

turn the power off.
Format and graphic data may be sent at any time.
Since batch data is combined with a format for printing, the

format and graphic data for a batch must reside in the printer
before sending the batch.

Overview

2-1

Each data type has its own data stream structure. Refer to
"Message Structures" in this manual.

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

2-2

3. Communication Requirements

To enable communications between the printer and the
computer, the printer c om m uni cations setup must matc h the
setup for the host computer. The options are:

• Baud rate

• Parity

• Data flow control

• Data bits

• Stop bits

All online data uses the ASCII (American Standard Code for
Information Interchange) character code for interpretation of
bits as charac ters.

Input Characteristics

Below are the input characteristics for communications. The
defaults are shown in bold print.

• Asynchronous

• Full duplex

• Selecta bl e options:

Baud rate 110, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600
Parity No parity, Odd, Even
Data flow Xon/Xoff, Data Termin al R e a dy (D TR )
Data bits Seven (7) or eight (8)
Stop bits One (1) or two (2)

Modify thes e communication settings on your printer as
necessary to match the settings on your host computer. See
"Setting Communication Values" in this chapter.

Communication

Requirements

3-1

There are three main buffers: batch, format, and graphic. The
printer also has a 1024 byte input buffer which holds data until
it is processed into the respective buffer(s).

Data Flow Control

The printer uses Xon/Xoff or data terminal ready (DTR) for
data flow control. DTR flow control is usually required if you
are using an IBM-PC, unless the PC has a special Xon-Xoff
program.

In DTR mode, the printer activates DTR when the printer can
accept more data from th e h ost and deactivates when the
printer’s rec ei ve buffer is nea rl y full. In Xon/X off M ode, the
printer sends the Xon character when the printer can accept
more data and sends Xoff when the printer buffer is nearly full.

In either mode, once the printer has indicated that its buffer is
nearly full (by sending Xoff or deactivating DTR), up to 134
additional characters may be accepted without losing any data.

The printer does not require any hardware or software signals
from the host system in order to operate.

NOTE: Flow control characters can be changed offline

through the Printer Configuration mode.

The total number of formats, batches, and graphics is only
limited by the amount of memory available.

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

3-2

Setting Communication Values

To set the communication parameters, follow the instructions
below. For more information on operating the printer, refer to
the

Operator’s Handbook

.

1. From the m ai n menu, press D to display Printer
Conf i g ur ation. Pres s

E

. You’ll see

Enter password: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Enter the 1-8 character password and press

E

.

NOTE: When you first receive the printer, the password is

MANAGER or ONLINE.

2. You’ll see the Configuration Options menu.

Select Config Option:
Define Check Digit Schemes

Press D until you see Host Port Configuration. Press

E

to select this option. With each parameter, you can

enter a new sel ection, or jus t press

E

to keep th e valu e

that is displayed.

3. You’ll see the Host Option menu and the first online
parameter.

Select Baud Rate:
2400

Press D or U until you see the baud rate you need,
then press

E

. You’ll see

Ent e r Parity : N
N)one, O)dd or E)ven

Communication

Requirements

3. Communication Requirements

3-3

4. Select the parity you need and press

E

. You’ll see

Enter Word Length [7- 8]: 8

5. Select the word length yo u need and press

E

. You’ll

see

Enter Stop Bits [1-2]: 1

6. Select the stop bits you need and pres s

E

. You’ll see

Enter St art (XON) char acter:
17

7. Enter a number from 1-127 for XON flow control, or 128 for
DTR flow control. Yo u’ll see

Enter Stop (XOFF) charac ter:
19

8. Enter a number from 1-127 for XOFF flow control, or 128
for DTR flow control.

NOTES:

• If you select DTR control (128 ) as the XON charact er,

the printer will automatically set 128 (DTR control) for
the XOFF character.

• The Start and Stop chara cters must be set at 128 (DTR

flow control) for IBM PC equipment.

You’ll see the Configuration Options menu.

Press ! to exit to the main menu.

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

3-4

Cable Interface

The printer accepts standard RS-232C electrical signal
transmissions when it is connect ed to a DB-25S connector
configured as Data Terminal Equipm ent (DTE ). For correct
operation, use all defined pins.

PC null modems
Plug the RS-232 cable into:

• A serial (RS-232) port on your host computer or

protocol converter

• The 25-pin RS-232 connector on your prin ter. See

"Installing the Printer" in your

Equipment Manual

.

The RS-232C cable interface is set up as a terminal device
(DTE):

Pin Description

3 Recei ved Data
5 Clear to Send Input
6 Data Set Ready

2 Tr a nsmitted da t a
4 Request to send Output

20 Data Terminal Ready

1 Protective ground Ground
7 Signal ground

All other pins are open.

Communication

Requirements

3. Communication Requirements

3-5

The cable interface for PC null modems is shown below.

9400 PC

FG 1 1 FG
TD 2 2 TD
RD 3 3 RD
RTS 4 4 RTS
CTS 5 5 CTS

DSR 6 6 DSR
CD 8 8 CD
DTR 20 20 DTR
SG 7 7 SG

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

3-6

4. Message Structures

This chapter has information and message structures for

• Formats

• Batch Data

Graphic image data is discussed in Chapter 5.

Creating Online Data Streams

Create data streams for your 9400 series printer using a
standard text editor, such as EDLIN or TSO.

If you use a word processor to create data stream s, make sure
to save the file in text-only or unformatted mode.

T ransmitting Online Data Streams

Your printer must be in Online Mode before it will accept data
from your co m puter.

• Select Online fro m the Sel ect Operating Mode menu.

• Press

E

. You’ll see

Online Mode Ready:

Your printer is now ready to accept data.

Message Structures

4-1

Send data to the printer j ust as you would send any print data
to a printe r from your computer.

For example, if you have a fil e nam ed FORMAT1.DAT on an
MS-DOS syste m , yo u cou ld se n d the data to your prin te r with
these com m ands:

MODE COM1:2400,N,8,1,P
MODE LPT1:=COM1
PRINT FORMAT1.DAT

This set of commands would send the file FOR M AT1.DAT to a
printer connected to COM1 of an MS-DOS computer .

Form at and graphic st ructures ca n be sent at any time.
Formats or graphics us ed by batch data must be sent before

the batch data referencing them. Any batch sent without a
previously defined format is ignored, generating an error.

NOTE: Formats designed on the 9425, 9445, or 9474

printers using the Dots numbering system will not
have the same horizontal field locations when used
on the 9465 printer. You will have to adjust the
format as needed.

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

4-2

Error Notification

Data hand l i ng and error checking are resident in the printer. If
an error in transmission occurs, an error is displayed on the
printer keypad display. However, no message is sent to the
host comp uter and processing continues until the end of the
transmi ssion.

Certain errors may put the printer in offline mode. See the

Messages Manual

for a list of possibl e messages.

Data Transmission Errors

The printer displays errors that occur during data
transmission. Printer fault errors stop the machine, which
will not resume printing until the operator corrects the error
conditi on. All these messa ges take the system offli ne.

Incorrect Data Errors

The printer pauses when it receives incorrect data from the
host computer. During the pause, i t displays a message
and beeps. After ten seconds, or when the operator
presses

E

, the printer resumes operation. Normally ,

the printer l oses the data tha t ca used the error.

If the host or the communications line goes down duri ng
transmi ssion, the printer displays the message

Waiting for command terminator.
Press F1 to abort do w n l o ad .

If you press ! , the batch or format data that was being sent
will be lost and must be retransmitte d.

Message Structures

4. Message Structures

4-3

Monetary Symbols

The default monetary sy m bols are the U.S . dol l ar and cents.
The ASCII characters $ (24 hex) and ^ (5E hex) represent the
dollar and c ent symbols.

If you change y our pri nter set tings to use international pri cing
symbols, these characters will then represent the new
symbols. For monetary selections that don’t have a cent
equivalent, the ^ character is changed to a space.

NOTE: In EBCDIC-bas ed syst e ms a ^ is not avai la ble . Use

~94 to print a cent sign.

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

4-4

Commands

The following characters are used in 9400 series online data
streams.

Command Characters

Programming C onventions

All onli ne commands fro m the host computer follow these rules.

• All data after the TERMINATOR character ( } ) and

before the nex t LEADIN character ( { ) is ignored.

• The hex values 7B, 7C and 7D are reserved as

command delimiters. All data of a value less than 20
hex and greater than 7E hex is ignored.

• All data string s (ba t ch data , co mp ress ed bit -m ap

images or format data) begin with a semi-colon (3BH)
and end with a TERMINAT OR or inter-record separator
(IRS or p (7C hex)).

• All space characters, exc ept string defini tions, are

ignored.

• All strings must be less than 100 characters.

Command

Character

Hex

Value

Description

{ 7B Open brace. Command LEADIN character

, 2C Comma. Inter-field separator (IFS)

; 3B Semicolon. Beginni ng of string cha racter

p 7C Split vert i cal bar. Command inter-record

sepa rator (IRS)

} 7D Close brace. Com m and TERMINAT O R

characte r

Message Structures

4. Message Structures

4-5

Format Data

Form at data contains the follo w ing.

• Format identification number and name

• Supply siz e

• Online field definitions for text, bar code, line and

graphic fields

The foll owing offline format elements are not supported online.

• Merged fields • S ub-fields

• Time or date fields • User- defined check digits

• Fixed characters • Alphanum eric distinc tion

• Fixed or variable length • Price fields

You must supply these eleme nts if you need them in your
progra m.

The messag e s t ructu re used to tr an s m it onli n e forma t data is
shown bel ow, followed by an ex am pl e.

{ FORMAT ID, LENGTH, WIDTH; FORMAT_NAME p

TEXT FIELD, INCREMENT FLAG, INCREMENT VALUE, ROW,

COLUMN, MULTIPLE, TEXT FONT,
CHARACTER ROTATION, FIELD ROTATION, COLOR p

BARCODE FIELD, INCREMENT FLAG, INCREMENT VALUE,

ROW, COLUMN, DENSITY,BAR CODE FONT,
FIELD ROTATION, HEIGHT, READABLE CHARACTERS p

LINE FIELD, ROW, COLUMN, DIRECTION, STOP,

THICKNESS p
GRAPHIC FIELD, ROW, COLUMN p
.
.

}

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

4-6

Example

This ex am ple has three text fields and one bar code fiel d.

{ F1,0558,0507;ONLINE p

T00,I,000,0475,0050,1,1,0,0,B p
T01,I,000,0406,0050,1,1,0,0,B p
T02,I,000,0017,0253,1,1,0,0,B p
B00,I,000,0124,0093,1,1,0,0177,1 p
}

The format header record (beginning with the Format ID) must
always be the first record in a format data st ream.

NOTE: Spaces can be used in the data stream. However, if

used in a string following a semi-colon, they will be
treated as printable characters.

Format Header Record

The format header record is constructed as shown below.

Syntax

{F##,LENGTH,WIDTH;FORMAT NAME p

Field Contents

F## Must begin with the letter "F" to represent

the beginning of a format data stream.
The F is followed by a one or two digit

number as the format ID
Values: 0-99
Exampl e: F23 = Format number 23

LENGTH One to four digits to define the supply

length in tenths of millimeters.
Values: 191-2032 (19.1 to 203.2 mm

or 0.75 to 8.0 inches)

Examples: 200 = 20mm

201 = 20.1mm

Message Structures

4. Message Structures

4-7

WIDTH One to four digits to define the width of the

supply in tenths of millimeters (across the
printhead).

Values:

9425 191-634 (0.75 to 2.5 inches)
9445 191-1078 (0.75 to 4.25 inches)
9465 191-1078 (0.75 to 4.25 inches)
9474 191-1078 (0.75 to 4.25 inches)

;FORMAT_NAME One to eight-cha r acter name assigned by

the user. It can contain any ASCII
alphanumeric character, including slash
(/), hyphen (-), space ( ), dollar sign ($), or
decimal point (.).

Note that since the Format Name is a character string, it is
preceded by a semicolon (;).

Example

{F23, 500, 200;TEXTILES p

This format has the following attributes:

• Format num ber is F23.

• Supply length is 50 millimeters .

• Supply width is 20 millimeters.

• This format is named "TEXTIL ES."

Syntax Checklist

• Make sure this is the first record in your format.

• Make sure the record begins with {.

• Make sure the first paramet er (format num ber) begins

with F.

• Make sure the length and width in this record matches

your supply length and widt h. Re member, these
numbers are in tenths of millimeters, so 500 equals 50
millimeters or 5 centimeters.

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

4-8

• Make sure your format name begins with a semi-colon

(;).

• Make sure the record ends with a recor d separator (

p

).

Message Structures

4. Message Structures

4-9

Text Field Record

The text fiel d record is cons tructed as sh ow n below.

Syntax

T##,IFLAG,IVALUE,ROW,COL,MAG,T FONT,C-ROT,F-ROT,COLOR p

Field
Contents

T## Must begin with the letter ‘T’ for a text field.

The T is follow ed by one or two digit s for
the field number. There can be up to 100
fields per format, in any combination of
text, barcode, line, or graphic fields.

Values: 0-99

IFLAG You can se t num er ic fi e lds to in crease or

decrease in value as each ticket is printed.
This parameter consists of one character

to define th e field as increment ed,
decremented, or constant.

Values: I = Increm ent

D = Decrement

If the field does not change, define IFLAG
as ‘I’ and set IVALUE to zero (0).

NOTE: Do not select incrementing on

fields that contain a check digit.

IVALUE One to three digits to define the amount by

which the value in the field increases or
decreases as each ticket is printed. If the
field does not change, define IFLAG as ‘I’
and set IVALUE to zero (0).

Values: 0-999

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

4-10

ROW One to four digits to define the row

location of the field on the supply. This is
the distance from the the guide edge zero
point at the

bottom

of the supply and the

bottom of the field.
The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches

from the bottom of the supply. The bottom
of the supply i s the edge that exits the
printer first.

This va l ue is measured i n tenths of
millimeters (TOMMS) and must be less
than the maximum length of the supply .

Values: 0-2032

COL One to four digits to define the column

location of the field on the supply. This is
the distance from the gui de edge zero
point at the

left

edge of the supply and the

left edge of the field.
The zero point is 1.5 mm or 0.060 inches

from the left edge of the supply.
The unit of m easurement is tenths of

millimeters. The range must be less than
the maxim um width of the supply.

Values:

9425 0-50 8 ( 0 to 2 i nches )
9445 0-101 6 ( 0 to 4 in ches)
9465 0-101 6 ( 0 to 4 in ches)
9474 0-101 6 ( 0 to 4 in ches)

Message Structures

4. Message Structures

4-11

MAG One to two digits as the magnification

factor for the font of text fields.
Values: 1 - 10
NOTE: Font magnifications creating

greater than 30% black print on a
format may result in lower print
quality.

TFONT One digit as the font for the TEXT field.

See "Quick References" for font samples.
Values:

1 Standard
2 Reduced
3 Bold
5 OCR-A
6 UPC HR1
7 UPC HR2

C-ROT Character rotation. The direction

characters point with respe ct to the field.
Values:

0 = tops of characters towar d top of field
1 = tops of characters toward left of field

F-ROT Field rotation. The direction of the field

with respect to the supply .
Values:

0 = top of fiel d toward top of supply
1 = top of field toward left of supply
2 = top of fie ld toward bo ttom of supply
3 = top of field toward right of supply

COLOR One character to define the color of a text

field.
Values:

B = Black characters (42H)
W = White charact ers on bl ack (57H)

9400 Series Programmer’s Manual

4-12

Example

T05,I,0,230,30,1,1,0,0,B p

This text field has the following attributes:

• Text field number is T05.

• This field does not change value with successive tickets

(IFLAG = I, increme n t va l ue = 0).

• Field begins 23 millimeters from the bottom of the print

area.

• Field begins 3 millimeters from the left edge of the print

area.

• The font appears at normal siz e (m agnification = 1)

• Standard font is used (1).

• Tops of characters point to the top of the field (character

rotation = 0).

• The top of th e field points to the top of the suppl y

(rotation = 0).

• Characters appear in Black.

Syntax Checklist

• Make sure this record is prec eded by a format header

record.

• Make sure th e fi rst paramet er (fi eld number) begins with

T.

• Make sure the row and column locations in this record

are less than the supply length and width.

• Make sure y ou have allowed enough space to hold all

the characters in the field without running off the supply.

• Make sure the record end s with a recor d sep arat or (

p

).

• If this is th e last record in your format, place a close

brace (}) at the end of the record .

Message Structures

4. Message Structures

4-13

Bar Code Field Record

The bar code field record is constructed as shown below.

Syntax

B##,IFLAG,IVALUE,ROW,COL,DENSITY,BFONT,F-ROT,HEIGHT,HR p

Field Contents

BARCODE Must be the letter ‘B’ for a bar code field.

The B is followed by one or two digits for
the field number. There can be up to 100
fields per format, in any combination of
text, barcode, line, or graphic fields.

Values: 0-99

IFLAG You can se t num er ic fi e lds to in crease or

decrease in value as each ticket is printed.
This parameter consists of one character

to define th e field as increment ed,
decremented, or constant.

Values: I = Increment

D = Decrement

If the field does not change, define IFLAG
as ‘I’ and set IVALUE to zero (0).

NOTE: Do not select incrementing on

UPC or EAN bar codes or field s
that contai n a check digit.

IVALUE One to three digits to define the amount by

which the value in the field increases or
decreases as each ticket is printed. If the
field does not change, define IFLAG as ‘I’
and set IVALUE to zero (0).

Values: 0-999

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4-14