Paxar 9416 XL User Manual

Monarch

9416®XL

Printer

Each product and program carries a respective written warranty, the only warranty on which the customer can rely. Paxar reserves the right to make changes in the product, the programs, and their availability at any time and without notice. Although Paxar has made every effort to provide complete and accurate information in this manual, Paxar shall not be liable for any omissions or inaccuracies. Any update will be incorporated in a later edition of this manual.

©2007 Paxar Americas, Inc. a subsidiary of Avery Dennison Corp. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form by any means, without the prior written permission of Paxar Americas, Inc.

WARNING

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.

CANADIAN D.O.C. WARNING

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe A prescrites dans le Réglement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicte par le ministère des Communications du Canada.

Trademarks

MONARCH® and 9416®, and XL® are trademarks of Paxar A mericas, Inc. Paxar® is a trademark of Paxar Corporation.

Avery Dennison® is a trademark of Avery Dennison Corporation.

Microsoft, Windows, NT, and MS-DOS are registered tradem arks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. True Type is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Hewlett-Packard is a registered trademark of Hewlett-Packard Company. CG Triumvirate and CG Triumvirate Bold are trademarks of AGFA Corporation. Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Centronics is a registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corporation.

Avery Dennison Printer Systems Division. 170 Monarch Lane Miamisburg, Ohio 45342

Table of Contents

GETTING STARTED

About This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Creating an MPCLII Format Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Starting with a Design. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Determining Format Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Determining the Print Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Drawing Rough Sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Using Supply Layout Grids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Considering Field Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Considering Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Interchanging Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Using the Format Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

CONFIGURING THE PRINTER

Setting Communication Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Using Parallel Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Using MPCLII Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Using Online Configuration Packets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Filling in the Format Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

MPCLII Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Standard Syntax Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Configuration Syntax Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

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

Table of Contents

Making Print Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Defining the System Setup Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Defining the Supply Setup Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9

Defining the Print Control Packet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Defining the Monetary Formatting Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11

Defining the Control Characters Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Resetting Control Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Defining the Communication Settings Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Using Immediate Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16

Enabling Immediate Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16

Sending Immediate Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16

Clearing Packets from Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18

Using the Font Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19

Uploading Format Header Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21

DEFINING FIELDS

Defining the Format Header. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Defining Text Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3

Defining Bar Code Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7

Defining Constant Text Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16

Defining Non-Printable Text Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Defining Line Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20

Defining Box Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-22

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Line Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20

Table of Contents

DEFINING FIELD OPTIONS

Applying Field Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Combining Field Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Option 1 (Fixed Data) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Option 4 (Copy Data) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4

Merging Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Sub-Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Option 30 (Padding Data) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Sample Use for Padding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Option 31 (Calculate Check Digit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Option 50 (Bar Code Density) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Option 51 (PDF417 Security/Truncation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Option 52 (PDF417 Width/Length). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Option 60 (Incrementing/Decrementing Fields) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Fixing the First Number in the Incrementing Sequence . . . . . . . . . . 4-11

Using Check Digits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11

Sum of Products Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Sum of Digits Calculation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

CREATING GRAPHICS

Overview of Bitmapped Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Determining a Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Designing Bitmapped Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Special Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Using the Hex Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Using the Run Length Encoding Method. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

Determining How to Store the Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Using RAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Using Temporary Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Table of Contents

iii

Creating a Graphic Packet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

Positioning the Graphic Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10

Defining the Graphic Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11

Creating Bitmap Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13

Creating Next-Bitmap Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14

Creating Duplicate Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15

Sample Hex Graphic Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16

Sample Run Length Graphic Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Placing the Graphic in a Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19

Defining the Graphic Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19

Sample Bitmap Graphic Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20

PRINTING

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

Downloading Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Defining the Batch Header. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Defining the Batch Control Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Defining Batch Data Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Using Special Characters in Batch Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Merged or Sub-Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Incrementing Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Entering Batch Data for QR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Sample QR Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Structured Append Mode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Sample QR Code using a Structured Append . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Downloading Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Sequential Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Batch Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Batch Quantity Zero Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Modifying Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

Optional Entry Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

Table of Contents

STATUS POLLING

Inquiry Request (ENQ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

ENQ Reference Table - Byte #2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

ENQ Reference Table - Byte #3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6

Job Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

Inquiry Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Job Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9

Job Status 0, 1, 2 Response Table (Status 1 Codes) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13

Job Status 0, 1, 2 Response Table (Status 2 Codes) . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14

TROUBLESHOOTING

Printing Test Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

Using Data Dump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

Resetting Printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

If You Receive an Error Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

If the PC and Printer Aren’t Communicating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4

Calling Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4

Additional Diagnostics Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

Data Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

Format Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6

Batch Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8

Option Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9

Online Configuration Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10

Check Digit Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12

Graphic Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13

Communication Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13

Data Formatting Failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14

Machine Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15

Hard Printer Failure Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1

Table of Contents

PRINTER OPTIMIZATION

Adjusting the Print Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1

Reducing Imaging Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2

General Format Tips and Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1

SAMPLES

FONTS

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Sample UPCA Format Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2

Sample MaxiCode Packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Mode 0 (Obsolete) Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4

Mode 2 Sample. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5

Mode 3 Sample. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6

HangTag Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7

Tag Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7

Label Example. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-8

Receipt Format Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-8

Label Sample 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9

Label Sample 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9

Bitmap Font Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

Monospaced Font Magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4

Proportional Font Magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

CG Triumvirate Bold (9 pt.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

CG Triumvirate (6 pt.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8

CG Triumvirate (7 pt.) 300 DPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

CG Triumvirate (9 pt.) 300 DPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

CG Triumvirate (11 pt.) 300 DPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

CG Triumvirate (15 pt.) 300 DPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-12

Licensing Your Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13

Using Font Numbers in Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13

Locating the Font Number in a Font Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-14

Table of Contents

SYMBOL SETS/CODE PAGES

Supported Symbol Sets and Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

Selecting a Symbol Set or Code Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Selecting the Internal Symbol Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Selecting the 437 or 850 Code Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Using Code 128 Function Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Entering Extended Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

Internal Symbol Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-3

ANSI Symbol Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

Bold Character Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5

OCRA Character Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6

Code Page 437 (Latin U.S.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

Code Page 850 (Latin 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

ASCII to Hexadecimal Conversion Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-9

Binary to Hex Conversion Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-12

Dot to Run Length Encoding Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-16

ON (Black) Dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-16

OFF (White Dots). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

FORMAT DESIGN TOOLS

Online Configuration Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-2

Batch Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-3

Check Digit Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1

Table of Contents

vii

viii

Table of Contents

GETTING STARTED

This manual provides the necessary information to design, write and print a Monarch® Printer Control Language II (MPCLII) format on a Monarch® 9416 thermal direct or thermal transfer Printer. Before you read this manual, review the printer information in the Quick Reference or Equipment Manual.

About This Manual

You do not need to be a programmer to use this manual, but you must be familiar with creating text files and using basic MS-DOS® commands. This chapter describes how to

create and download a sample MPCLII packet.

use the Supply Layout Grid and Format Worksheet.

categorize data into field types and select fonts to use in your format.

See "Defining Text Fields" in Chapter 3 for a list of available fonts for your printer. See Chapter 4, "Defining Field Options," for a list of available options for your printer.

Getting Started

1-1

Before You Begin

Connect the printer to the host. Refer to the Equipment

Manual for more information.

Load supplies in the printer. Refer to the Equipment Manual

for more information.

Turn on the printer.

Set the communication parameters and configure the printer.

The communication parameters at the printer must match those at the host. See Chapter 2, "Configuring the Printer," for more information.

Design your format. See "Starting with a Design" for more

information.

Download your format to the printer. See Chapter 6,

"Printing," for more information.

Creating an MPCLII Format Packet

A format defines which fields appear and where the fields are printed on the label. The printer requires this information in a special form, using Monarch Printer Control Language II (MPCL). This section describes how to create a sample MPCLII format packet.

1-2

Getting Started

For detailed information about the format header, text, constant text, and bar code fields, see Chapter 3, "Defining Fields." For information about batch packets, see Chapter 6, "Printing."

Type the following format header, in any text editor:

{F,25,A,R,M,508,508,"FMT-25" p

Type the following constant text field:

C,325,80,0,1,2,1,W,C,0,0,"MONARCH MARKING",1 p

Type the following bar code field:

B,1,12,F,185,115,1,2,120,5,L,0 p

Type the following text field:

T,2,18,V,105,70,1,1,1,1,B,C,0,0,1 p }

For detailed information about the format header, text, constant text, and bar code fields, see Chapter 3, "Defining Fields." For information about batch packets, see Chapter 6, "Printing."

You have created a format packet for your MPCLII printer. Now, a batch packet must be created before you can print the format.

Type the following batch header, after the text field line:

{B,25,N,1 p

Type the following bar code data:

1,"12345678901" p

Type the following text field data:

2,"DAYTON, OHIO" p }

Save your file as SAMPLE.FMT.

Getting Started

1-3

Type MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1 at the

DOS prompt if you are using serial communications. This sets the communication parameters at your host. These communication parameters must match those at your printer. See "Setting Communication Parameters," in Chapter 2 or your host’s documentation for more information.

Type COPY SAMPLE.FMT COM1. The

10.

following 2 inch by 2 inch label prints.

Starting with a Design

Before you create a format packet, you must design your label. There are several steps to designing a custom label:

Decide which fields should appear on your label. See

"Determining Format Contents" for more information.

Determine your label size. Labels are available from Monarch

in a wide variety of sizes. Your application and the amount of data you need to print determines the supply size. Contact your sales representative for more information.

1-4

Getting Started

Draw a rough sketch of your label. You may want to draw

several variations to see what works best. See "Drawing Rough Sketches" for more information.

Identify the field types that appear on your label. See

"Considering Field Types" for more information.

Decide which fonts you want to use. See "Considering Fonts"

for more information.

Fill out your Format Worksheet. See "Using the Format

Worksheet" for more information.

At this point, you are ready to use your format.

Create a format packet, based on how you filled out your

worksheet. See Chapter 3, "Defining Fields," for more information.

Determining Format Contents

Before you lay out your format, you need to make a few decisions. For example, how large is your supply, which fonts do you want to use, do you want to include a bar code, and do you want to include graphics?

Determining the Print Area

The "bottom" is the edge that exits the printer first. The 0,0 point is at the bottom left corner of the label. The print area varies, depending on the size of your supply. Below are the maximum and minimum print areas.

Unit of

Measure

English

(1/100")

Metric

(1/10mm)

Dots

(1/203 dots)

Dots

(1/300 dots)

Minimum

Supply Size

25 X 75 425 x 1000 400 x 1000

63 X 191 1080 x 2540 1016 x 2540

51 X 152 864 x 2030 812 x 2030

75 X 225 1275 x 2700 1200 x 2700

Maximum

Supply Size

Maximum Print Area

The minimum label feed length for peel mode is 0.75 inches (19 mm). For exact print area measurements of your supply, see the supply layout grids in Appendix D. When designing formats, the following non-print zone is recommended: 0.04 inches at the top and bottom of the label.

Use the following formulas to convert inches to dots and metric:

Dots = inches x 203 or (x 300 for 300 dpi) Metric (1/10mm) = inches x 254 English (1/100 inch) = 100 x (dots/203) or (dots/300) Dots = Metric (1/10 mm) x (799/1000) or (1181/1000) 300 dpi depends on your printer.

Getting Started

1-5

Drawing Rough Sketches

After you decide what information you want to print, sketch how you want the information to appear on the label. Note any areas that are preprinted on the label, such as a logo.

As soon as you know what information to include on the label, and you have a rough sketch, you can use a supply layout grid to help you layout and size your label. If you do not want to use a grid, go to "Considering Field Types" to choose what information you want on your label.

Using Supply Layout Grids

A supply layout grid contains measurement markers. These markers help you accurately position information on your label. Decide whether you want to design formats using English, Metric, or Dot measurements. Choose from the following grids:

Supply Layout (dpi)

English

The English grid is measured in 1/100 inches.

Metric

The Metric grid is measured in 1/10 millimeters (mm).

Graphic

The printer uses dots to print images on a label. The printhead has 203 dots per inch (dpi) or 300 dots per inch.

Choose English or Metric units when designing formats to use with different printers. English or Metric units allow more direct use of formats on printers with different density printheads.

192 203

1536

1440

1344

1248

1152

1056

960

864

768

672

576

480

384

288

192

0.0

192 203

192

0.0

203

102

0.0

480 576

288

384

508

305

406

609

1624

1523

1421

1320

1218

1117

1015

672

768

806

711

812

853

914

812

711

609

508

406

305

203

102

0.0

1-6

Getting Started

If you want to use the supply layout grids, a copy of each is in Appendix D, "Format Design Tools."

Considering Field Types

After you select a supply size, the next step in designing a format is to decide what information you want to print on the label. For example, you may want to print your company name, price of an item, and a bar code that combines information from other places. Everything you want to print falls into one of the following categories.

Field Type Description Examples

Text Contains letters, numbers, or

symbols you want to print.

Bar Code Used for printing bar codes

that can be scanned.

Constant Text Prints fixed characters that

print without changing.

Line or Box Highlights or separates items. line marking out the regular

Graphic Contains a bitmap image or a

compliance label overlay.

item number, item description, department number, price, date

item or serial numbers, zip codes, information you don’t want to have visible to customers

company name, company address

price, border around the supply

logos

All of the above field types except graphics

are discussed in Chapter 3. See Chapter 5,

"Creating Graphics" for information on

including graphics in your format.

Getting Started

1-7

Considering Fonts

When working with fonts, you have three considerations: font appearance, font size (bitmapped), and font spacing (monospaced or proportional). See Appendix B, "Fonts," for samples of each font.

Interchanging Packets

You can use an MPCLII format that was designed for another MPCLII printer on a 9416 printer. The format may appear smaller (fields will be shorter), because most of the 9416 printers use a 203 dpi printhead. However, an optional 300 dpi printhead is available. If you use a 203 dpi format on a 300 dpi printer, it may appear almost 50 percent smaller.

Using the Format Worksheet

The Format Worksheet is divided into sections that list the field types. Each section has boxes to fill in with parameters that define your format. A format worksheet is included in Appendix D, "Format Design Tools."

Filling in the Format Worksheet

1-8

Getting Started

Decide what type of field to use on your label.

Make a copy of the Format Worksheet.

Define the Format Header.

Define options as you require them. See Chapter 4, "Defining

Field Options" for more information.

CONFIGURING THE PRINTER

This chapter discusses how to

set communication parameters.

upload the printer’s configuration or font information.

configure the printer using online configuration packets.

use immediate commands to control the printer’s operation at any time.

Configuring the Printer

2-1

Setting Communication Parameters

Use the following information if you are connecting to the printer’s 9-pin serial port.

The communication parameters at the printer must match those at the host, or you will not be able to communicate.

You can use the communication settings packet to set communication parameters for your printer.

On MS-DOS computers, you can use the MODE command to set communication values on your PC.

For example

MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1

This command sets your host to these communication values:

a baud rate of 9600

no parity

8 bit word length

1 stop bit

Using Parallel Communications

If your printer supports parallel communications, the parallel port is Centronics® mode. The communication settings are automatically configured for you. There are no operator settings required.

We recommend waiting at least two seconds (or longer) when switching between the serial and parallel ports to send data, because data may be lost. Be careful when using print spoolers, because data transmission occurs in the background of the operating system. This makes data transmission completion difficult to determine when switching between ports.

2-2

Configuring the Printer

Using MPCLII Conventions

Here are some guidelines to follow when using MPCLII.

MPCLII Punctuation

Use the following symbols when creating MPCLII packets:

{ start of header

} end of header

p field separator

, parameter separator

"ABC" Quotation marks enclose character strings.

Empty quotes ("") identify null strings or unused fields.

‘comment‘ Grave accents enclose comments. Any data

enclosed in grave accents is ignored. Do not embed comments within a quoted string. Grave accents are also used to reject mainframe data.

These MPCL characters are the default.

Configuring the Printer

2-3

Standard Syntax Guidelines

When creating MPCLII packets:

Begin each packet with a start of header ({).

End each packet with an end of header (}).

Define no more than 1000 fields in a format. Each p indicates one field. However, options are not counted as fields.

The field number (0 - 999) must be unique. Monarch recommends starting at 1, instead of 0.

Do not use a field number more than once per format.

Define all fields in the order you want to image/print them.

Separate all parameters with a Parameter Separator (,).

End each field with a Field Separator ( p ).

Enter all information in CAPITAL letters, except words or phrases within quotation marks.

Include all parameters for a field unless documented as optional.

Define non-printable text fields before the field to which they apply.

Define options immediately after the field to which they apply.

Multiple options can be used with most fields. Options can be used in any combination except as noted with each definition.

Keep in mind that proportionally spaced fonts need wider fields than monospaced fonts. For variable field data, use a letter "W" to determine the maximum field size.

Do not place a new line (return) or any other non-printing character in a character string. However, a carriage return or line break after each p makes your formats easier to read. T,1,20,V,30,30,1,1,1,1,B,C,0,0,0 p T,2,10,V,50,30,1,1,1,1,B,C,0,0,0 p

Spaces are ignored, except within character strings.

2-4

Configuring the Printer

Using Online Configuration Packets

Use online configuration packets to change the printer settings. You must send the online configuration packets one at a time, supplying all parameters for each packet. Leave the parameters blank that you do not need to change. For example,

,A,,,,1 p } prints a slashed zero and uses the last sent online

{ I System Setup parameters.

Make a copy of the online configuration worksheet in Appendix D, "Format Design Tools," and save the original. Packets A - F are listed on the worksheet.

When you turn off the printer, all the information in the online configuration packets is saved and used when the printer is turned back on. After you change printer configurations, you must resend the format, batch, or graphic to the printer before the changes take effect.

Always include an I before the packet identifier (A, B, C, etc.). The I identifies the data stream as a configuration packet.

Include the I parameter with each packet if

you are sending them individually. Include it

only at the beginning of a data stream if you

This is the syntax to use when you create online configuration packets:

, immediately after the left bracket { and

parameter

are sending multiple packets.

Configuring the Printer

2-5

Syntax

{

, 1 - 8 optional records A, parameter 1...parameter 5 p B, parameter 1...parameter 5 p C, parameter 1...parameter 5 p D, parameter 1...parameter 3 p E, parameter 1...parameter 9 p F, parameter 1...parameter 5 p }

Start of Header Configuration Header

System Setup Supply Setup Print Control Monetary Formatting Control Characters Communication Settings End of Header

Syntax for single packet

{

, A, parameter 1...parameter 5 }

Start of Header Configuration Packet Identifier System Setup End of Header

You can also add a configuration to non-volatile RAM or specify units for supply, print, margin, and cut positions. If you use the optional parameters with the

packet, any online configuration

packets following the split vertical bar ( p ) must specify distances using the selected units. However, the diagnostic labels display the units in dots, even if you entered them in English or Metrics units.

Syntax

{I, p }

Example

Adds a configuration to non-volatile RAM and specifies English units. It also uses the default contrast, moves print 0.25 inches closer to the bottom of the supply and does not change the margin adjustment, prints at the default print speed, and uses the default printhead width.

Example

Uploads the printer configuration from nonvolatile RAM and returns the following to the host.

2-6

Configuring the Printer

{I, p C,0,25,0,0,0 p }

{I,0,U,N p }

A,0,0,0,0,1 p B,2,0,0,0,0 p

C,0,0,0,0,0,0 p D,1,0,2 p E,"~123~044~034~124~125~126","","~013~010" p F,3,1,0,0,1 p

The parameters for each packet (A - F) are displayed. See each packet description later in this chapter for more information.

Configuration Syntax Guidelines

When creating a printer configuration packet:

Follow the "Standard Syntax Guidelines" listed at the beginning of this chapter.

Begin a packet with the configuration header (I).

Download multiple configuration packets within one packet or download a single configuration packet.

Include the first five ANSI codes, at a minimum, in the control characters packet.

If you change any of the online configuration packets, resend the format packet to the printer, so the configuration changes take effect.

Make sure the communication settings at the host match those at the printer.

Making Print Adjustments

You can adjust where the printer prints on your supply by adjusting the supply, print, or margin positions. However, keep in mind the following:

Supply adjustments across the width of your supply, such as the margin position, are based in dots. The 9416 printhead can be 203 or 300 dots per inch.

Supply adjustments for the length of your supply, such as supply position or print adjustment, are measured in 1/203 of an inch, regardless of your printhead density.

Configuring the Printer

2-7

Defining the System Setup Packet

Use the system setup packet (A) to select the power up mode, display language, print separators between batches, print a "slashed zero," and select the symbol set.

Syntax

A1. A System Setup Packet

A2. powup_mode Online Mode. Enter 0.

A3. language Display Language. Enter 0 (for English).

A4. sep_on Batch Separators. Enter 0 (for no batch separators).

A5. slash_zero Slash Zero. Options:

A6. symbol_set Symbol Set. Options:

Example

{I,A,powup_mode,language,sep_on,slash_zero, symbol_set p}

0 Print a standard zero (default) 1 Print a zero with a slash through it

0 Internal (default) 1 ANSI 2 Code Page 437 (Latin U.S.) 3 Code Page 850 (Latin 1)

NOTE: See Appendix C for more information.

{I,A,0,0,0,1,0 p }

Powers up the printer in the online mode, displays prompts in English, does not print a separator after each batch, prints zeros with slashes through them, and uses the internal symbol set.

2-8

Configuring the Printer

Defining the Supply Setup Packet

Use the supply setup packet (B) to select supply type, ribbon, feed mode, supply position, and cut position.

Syntax

{I,B,supply_type,ribbon_on,feed_mode, supply_posn p}

B1. B Supply Setup Packet

B2. supply_type Supply Type. Options:

B3. ribbon_on Ribbon. The printer automatically senses if a ribbon is

B4. feed_mode Feed Mode. Options:

B5. supply_posn -300 - 300 in 1/203 inch. 0 is the default. Adjusts the

0 Black mark supply 1 Die Cut supply (default) 2 Non-indexed supply

NOTE: You may need to adjust the print contrast (in the Print

Control packet), based on your type of supply.

installed and switches to thermal transfer mode. Options:

0 Ribbon not installed (thermal direct) 1 Ribbon installed (thermal transfer)

NOTE: If "ribbon installed" is sent to the printer, but no

ribbon is installed, an error occurs. If "ribbon not installed" is sent to the printer, but a ribbon is installed, no error occurs.

0 Continuous operation (default) 1 On-demand mode

machine to print at the vertical 0,0 point on the supply. This adjustment accounts for mechanical tolerances. The supply position adjustment only needs to be made on the initial machine setup. Increase the supply position to move print up, decrease to move print down on the label. You can not change the supply position while the printer is active. Changing the supply position affects the print position. Once the supply position is set, use the print control packet to adjust the print position.

Example

{I,B,0,0,1,10 p }

Indicates black mark and thermal direct stock has been loaded, causes the printer to operate in on-demand mode, and feeds the supply approximately .05 inches up before printing the format on each label (10/203 inches).

Configuring the Printer

2-9

Defining the Print Control Packet

Use the print control packet (C) to set the contrast, print, and margin adjustment, print speed, and printhead width.

Syntax

{I,C,contrast,print_adj,margin_adjust, speed_adj,ph_width p }

C1. C Print Control Packet

C2. contrast -390 - 156. 0 is the default. You may need to adjust this

C3. print_adj -99 - 99 in 1/203 inch. 0 is the default. Adjusts where data

C4. margin_adj -99 - 99 in 1/203 inch. 0 is the default. Adjusts where data

C5. speed_adj Print Speed. The only valid settings for 300 dpi are 20 and

value depending on the type of supplies you are using. To make the print darker, use increments of 13 (for example, 0, 13, 26, 39, 52, etc.). To make the print lighter, use increments of -129 (for example, -129, -258, or -387). You need to use these incremental values to see a difference in the print contrast. For example, values 1 to 13 produce the same result. This is true for values -1 to -130.

prints vertically on the supply. Increase the print position to move print up, decrease to move print down.

prints horizontally on the supply. Increase the margin position to move print to the right, decrease to move print to the left. Margin and print position are format adjustments. They will not affect the supply position, dispense position, or backfeed distance.

30. Options:

0 This is the default and the printer prints at 3.0 ips. 20 Uses a print speed of 2.0 ips 30 Uses a print speed of 3.0 ips. 40 Uses a print speed of 4.0 ips (not for 300 dpi) 50 Uses a print speed of 5.0 ips. (not for 300 dpi)

C6. ph_width Width of the printhead in dots. Use 0.

Example

Uses the default contrast, moves print 0.1 inch closer to the bottom of the supply (20/203 inches) and .05 inch to the left on the supply (10/203 inches), the printer prints at the default speed of 3.0 ips, and uses the default printhead width.

2-10

Configuring the Printer

{I,C,0,-20,-10,0,0 p }

Defining the Monetary Formatting Packet

The monetary formatting packet (D) selects the monetary symbols to print for a price field. Use the monetary formatting packet to select primary and secondary monetary symbols, and designate the number of digits to appear at the right of a decimal.

Syntax

D1. D Monetary Formatting Packet

D2. cur_sym Currency Symbol. Options:

D3. secondary Secondary Sign. Options:

{I,D,cur_sym,secondary,decimals p }

0 No symbol 1 USA ($, Dollar- default) 2 UK (£, Pound) 3 Japan (¥, Yen) 4 Germany (1, Deutsche Mark) 5 France (F, Franc) 6 Spain (P, Peseta) 7 Italy (L., Lira) 8 Sweden (Kr, Krona) 9 Finland (2, Markka) 10 Austria (6, Shilling) 11 India (Rs, Rupee) 12 Russian (3, Ruble) 13 Korean (4 , Won) 14 Thai (5, Baht) 15 Chinese (¥, Yuan) 16 Euro-Dollar (c)

NOTE: To use these symbols, select the internal symbol set.

0 No secondary sign (default) 1 Print secondary sign

NOTE: Secondary symbols only print if you designate at

least one decimal place.

Configuring the Printer

2-11

D4. decimals Number of digits to the right of the decimal. Options:

0 No digits 1 One digit 2 Two digits (default) 3 Three digits

Example

{I,D,1,1,2 p }

Prints the dollar sign, uses a secondary symbol, and places two digits to the right of the decimal.

Defining the Control Characters Packet

Use the control characters packet (E) to change the MPCLII control characters, enable and disable the immediate commands, and change the default terminator character for job requests and ENQ’s.

Changes take effect with the first character following the end of header character } of the configuration packet. Each control character must be unique and cannot appear anywhere else in your packet, except within quotation marks. You can customize the trailer characters to work with your host.

Wait two seconds for the new characters to

take effect before sending packets using the

new characters.

Use the following syntax for the control characters packet. Notice all but the first parameter are within quotation marks.

2-12

Configuring the Printer

+ 182 hidden pages