Paxar 9430R User Manual

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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.

2003 Paxar Americas, Inc. 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.

Regulatory Compliance

Paxar products are designed to be compliant with the rules and regulations
in the locations into which they are sold and will be labeled as required.
The majority of RF devices are type approved and do not require the user to
obtain license or authorization before using the equipment. Any changes or
modifications to Paxar equipment not expressly approved by Paxar could
void the user authority to operate the equipment.

Radio Frequency Interference Requirements

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions: 1) this device may not cause harmful
interference, and 2) this device must accept any interference that may cause
undesired operations.

Radio Frequency Interference Requirements - Canada

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B 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 B
prescrites dans le Réglement sur le brouillage radioélectrique édicte par le
ministère des Communications du Canada.

To comply with FCC and Industry Canada exposure requirements, if this
device is a
user’s hand when there is 2.5 cm or more between the antenna and the
user’s body; if this device is a
when there is 25 cm or more between the antenna and the user’s body.

hand-held portable

device, it is approved for operation in a

table-top

device, it is approved for operation

European Economic Area

The European variant is intended for use throughout the European Economic
Area, and is compliant with the R&TTE directives; however, authorization for
use restricted as follows:

European standards dictate maximums radiated transmit power of 100 mW
EIRP and frequency range 2.400 –2.4835 GHz.

France, the equipment is to be restricted to the 2.4465 – 2.4835 GHz
frequency range.

Belgium outside, the equipment is to be restricted to the 2.460 – 2.4835
GHz frequency range.

Operation in Italy requires a user license.

Trademarks

Paxar is a trademark of Paxar Corporation.
Monarch is a registered trademark of Paxar Americas, Inc.
9430R and Paxar Monarch Sierra Sport are trademarks of Paxar Americas,
Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

Duty Cycle .............................................................................................1-1

Conventions Used in this Manual..............................................................1-2

Creating and Printing Formats...................................................................2-1

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

Creating Text Fields................................................................................ 2-1

Selecting Character Sets ......................................................................... 2-2

Formatting Text ..................................................................................2-3

Creating Graphic Fields ........................................................................... 2-4

Using Data Stream Graphics ................................................................2-4

Using Flash Memory Graphics ..............................................................2-5

Using Compressed Graphics.................................................................2-8

Creating Bar Code Fields.........................................................................2-9

Specifying Particular Bar Codes ......................................................... 2-11

Positioning Fields ................................................................................. 2-13

Configuring the Printer .............................................................................3-1

Selecting the Operating Mode ..................................................................3-1

Setting the Print Contrast ........................................................................3-1

Setting the Power Mode...........................................................................3-2

Checking the Battery Voltage ...................................................................3-2

Using the Power-Off Timer.......................................................................3-3

Supply Control Commands.......................................................................3-4

Printer Responses...............................................................................3-5

Checking Version Information................................................................... 3-6

Table of Contents i

Printer/Device Communications ................................................................ 3-6

Setting the Communication Parameters .................................................3-8

Printer Pinouts....................................................................................3-9

Miscellaneous Control Characters1......................................................... 3-10

Modifying Resident Fonts..........................................................................4-1

Resident Font Sizes................................................................................ 4-1

Modification Procedure............................................................................ 4-1

Defining New Characters .........................................................................4-2

Selecting Character Sets ......................................................................... 4-3

Loading New Characters..........................................................................4-4

Saving Modified Fonts.............................................................................4-4

Using the Magnetic Card Reader................................................................5-1

Error Messages...................................................................................5-3

Control Characters................................................................................... A-1

Command Summary ................................................................................. B-1

ii Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

1

The Paxar® Monarch® Sierra Sport™ 3R 9430R™ printer control
language contains a variety of commands that allow you to specify how
the printer works. You download these commands in a data stream from
another device.

The printer control language contains commands to

♦ create and print formats.
♦ configure the printer.
♦ enable the use of certain printer features.

This manual describes the printer's control language.

Duty Cycle

The 9430R printer is designed to print up to 1000 inches per day. The
average print rate is 1 inch every 10 seconds at a text character print
density of 25% (i.e., one character printed out of every four positions). Bar
codes and graphics are more dense (print with more dots) than text and may
need a lower duty cycle. In high temperature environments, pause the
printer for one minute after every four (4) inches printed. If the duty cycle is
exceeded, the printer may not print all of the information that was sent to it.

Introduction 1-1

Conventions Used in this Manual

Following are the conventions used in the syntax descriptions of each
command.

Symbol Description

- Separates items in the command sequence.

< > Indicates a variable with a single-byte value.

' ' Indicates the value is a literal. Enter the value as it appears or

use the ASCII hex values for the same characters.

( ) Indicates a variable of any length.

# # Indicates a variable of an exact length.

ESC Indicates the beginning of a command sequence. Enter 1B hex

for this item.

CR-LF­NAK

These conventions make it easier for you to read the commands' syntax
descriptions. They are not part of the data streams. For example,
ESC-'F1' may be the syntax description, but the data stream should contain
1B for ESC. Also, - and ' (and other such characters described here) are
not part of the data stream.

Indicates the end of a response from the printer. In the
response, it is represented as 0D 0A 15 hex.

NOTE: The printer ignores commands with syntax errors.

1-2 Introduction

CREATING AND PRINTING

2

FORMATS

A

format

placed at various locations on the format. Fields can contain text, graphics,
and bar codes.

This chapter describes how to create a format.

Overview

To create a format:

1. Draw a rough sketch of how you want the format to look. For example,

NOTE: There are .157-inch no-print zones on the left and right sides of the

2. Code the commands to implement your format design, as described in

3. Add any commands to the data stream related to how the printer

is the design what your data stream prints. It consists of

a graphic may appear at the top, followed by the name of your
organization, followed by a list of items purchased. Your format could
be organized any number of ways.

format, and a .7-inch no-print zone at the top of the format.

this chapter.

performs. For example, at the data stream's beginning, enter the
command to initialize the printer (18 hex).

fields

4. Send the data stream from the host to the printer and test what you
have written.

Creating Text Fields

Text fields can contain letters, numbers, and symbols. To specify text for
the format, write the text directly to the printer. There is no special
command to use. There are, however, commands/control characters to
select a character set to use and to format the text.

Creating and Printing Formats 2-1

Selecting Character Sets

The printer comes with a default ASCII character set.

You can select either of two extended character sets: International or PC
Line-Draw.

These character sets are preloaded in the printer.

NOTE: You can modify character sets/fonts resident in the printer. See

“Modifying Resident Fonts.”

Character Exceptions

Both character sets have missing characters. The

replace

2-2 Creating and Printing Formats

and , respectively; the character replaces .

and characters

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'F1' Selects International (ANSI) characters.

ESC-'F2' Selects PC Line-Draw (ASCII) characters.

NOTE: F1 and F2 are two-character strings, not the familiar notation for

function keys 1 and 2.

Formatting Text

For the text on your format, you can choose the font, its size, and style
(normal or bold).

Command Summary

Command Description

1C hex (Extend) Prints characters twice as high as normal.

1D hex (Extendoff) Prints characters at the normal height.

ESC-'k'-<font> Selects a font. Standard Bold is the default.

<font> 0 Large Rotated (90 degrees

clockwise)

1 Large Normal

2 Standard Bold

3 Standard Normal

4 Reduced Bold

5 Reduced Normal

ESC-'U'-<mode> Turns bold printing on or off.

<mode> 0 Turn off bold printing.

1 Turn on bold printing.

Creating and Printing Formats 2-3

Creating Graphic Fields

The printer can print bitmap graphics from

♦ data streams
♦ flash memory.

You use the same commands for both methods. However, if you use a data
stream, you must recreate the graphic every time you want to print it. If you
put the graphic in flash memory, you create it only once, and then retrieve it
when you want to print it.

You can also compress graphics.

Using Data Stream Graphics

You print data stream graphics one line at a time. These lines may contain
data or spaces. To create a line, you specify bits to turn off or on. Bits
turned off represent white space, and bits turned on represent part of the
graphic. There is a .125 mm gap between consecutive lines.

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'V'­<lines1><lines2>­#data#

<lines1><lines2> The first and second hexadecimal digits of the

NOTE: You do not directly specify the bits turned on or off. You specify

the bits in groups of eight by using hex values.

2-4 Creating and Printing Formats

Prints a graphic line.

number of lines to print.

#data# 72 hex bytes, indicating the dots to turn on or

off. For example, if a specified byte is FF, all
the dots are on. If it is 01, only one dot is on,
and the other 7 are off.

If you accidentally specify less than 72 bytes,
the printer does not print the graphic. If you
specify more than 72 bytes, a fatal exception
occurs.

Example

This line of code prints a solid horizontal line of dots.

ESC-V-1-0­FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
FFFF

ESC-'a'-<space> Specifies the amount the space for the printer

to leave between lines.

<space> 0-10 The amount of space (in increments of

.125 mm). The default is 3 (.375 mm).
When using PC Line-Draw characters,
specify 0.

Example: ESC-a2 Sets the space between text lines to .25 mm.

ESC-'J'-<num> Performs a specified number of .125mm line

feeds.

<num> 1-FF The number of line feeds, specified in

hex. The default is 1 (.125 mm).

Using Flash Memory Graphics

You can also use a graphic previously stored in flash memory. You are
limited to one graphic stored in memory at a time. Saving a graphic to flash
memory when there is already one there overwrites the previous one.

1. Remove the printer’s battery and wait several seconds.

2. Re-insert the battery and enter Download Mode immediately (see

below). It takes two commands to make the transition to Download
Mode:

A. ESC-'DL'

B. ESC-'LG0'

Have the host wait to send the second command until the printer
responds to the first command by returning a ‘?‘ character.

3. Transmit the graphic one line at a time using the ESC-V command as

described in “Using Data Stream Graphics.”

ESC-'V'-<lines1><lines2>-#data#

Creating and Printing Formats 2-5

4. Save the graphic to flash memory using the following command:

ESC-'LG'-FF hex

When it receives the command, the printer returns a ‘D‘ character, and
begins the save. When the save is complete, the printer transmits an
‘!’ character, and then an ‘X’ character every 500 milliseconds.

5. Remove the printer’s battery and wait several seconds before replacing
it.

6. Print the flash memory graphic with the following command:

ESC-'Lg0'

All these commands are described in detail in the following table.

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'DL' Step 1 of entering Download Mode. After

processing this command, the printer returns a
‘?’ character.

ESC-'LG0' Step 2 of entering Download Mode. Any

character not accepted as part of this
command is sent back to the host.

ESC-'LG'-FF hex Saves the graphic. After receiving this

command, the printer returns a ‘D’ character,
and then saves the graphic.

When finished, the printer sends an ‘!’
character, then it sends an ‘X’ character every
500 milliseconds.

ESC-'Lg0' Prints the graphic stored in flash memory.

2-6 Creating and Printing Formats

Command Description

ESC-'V'-<low>-<high>­#data#

Prints a number of graphic lines (same
command for both data stream and flash
memory graphics).

<low> and <high> The hex digits (listed backward) of a number

indicating how many lines to print. For
example, to print 10 lines, <low> is A, and

<high> is 0.

#data# 72 hex bytes, indicating the dots to turn on or

off. For example, if a specified byte is FF, all
the dots are on. If it is 01, only one dot is on,
and the other 7 are off.

If you accidentally specify less than 72 bytes,
the printer does not print the graphic. If you
specify more than 72 bytes, a fatal exception
occurs.

NOTE: You are not directly specifying the bits turned on or off. You are

specifying the bits in groups of eight by using two digit hex values.

Creating and Printing Formats 2-7

Using Compressed Graphics

You can compress the data in a graphic when it has repetitive values.

Command Description

ESC-'v'-<height>-

Prints a bar code with human-readable data.

<width>-<counter>­(data)…

<height> The number of dot lines in the following data.

<width> The number of bytes per dot line.

<counter> An indicator of how and how much data to

process.

When <counter> is signed (and a positive
number), process the specified amount of data
as with data stream graphics. Otherwise,
repeat the next byte the specified number of
times.

When <counter> is unsigned, (and less than or
equal to 127), process the specified amount of
data as with data stream graphics. Otherwise,
repeat the next byte the specified number of
times (the specification being the difference
between counter and 256).

(data) The data in the graphic.

NOTE: <counter> and <data> can repeat multiple times within one

command.

2-8 Creating and Printing Formats

Creating Bar Code Fields

The printer can print the following bar codes, with or without human­readable data.

♦ Code 39
♦ Codabar
♦ Interleaved 2 of 5
♦ Code 128 (UCC/EAN-128)
♦ UPC/EAN/JAN

Creating and Printing Formats 2-9

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'z'-<bctype>­<length>-<height>­<data>

ESC-'Z'-<bctype>­<length>-<height>­<data>

<bctype> The type of bar code to print (values are the

<length> The data length, specified in hex (01 – FF).

<height> The bar code height, specified in hex, in

(data) The data for the bar code. It must equal

Example:
ESC-'Z'-'3'-08 hex­50 hex-'12345678'

Prints a bar code without human-readable
data.

Prints a bar code with human-readable data.

ASCII representation, not hex).

'1' Code 39

'2' Code 128 (UCC/EAN-128)

'3' Interleaved 2 of 5

'4' UPC/EAN/JAN

'5' Codabar

This value is dependent on the bar code you
choose with <bctype>. See “Specifying
Particular Bar Codes.”

increments of .125 mm. <height> can be no
smaller than 14. For example, 14 = 2.5 mm,
15 = 2.625 mm, etc.

For UPC/EAN/JAN bar codes, the height you
specify includes a 1.25 mm drop bar pattern
after the bar code.

<length>. See “Specifying Particular Bar
Codes” for data restrictions, which vary by bar
code.

Prints an Interleaved 2 of 5 bar code, 10 mm
high, containing 12345678 as the data.

2-10 Creating and Printing Formats

Specifying Particular Bar Codes

Values for the <length> and <data> parameters depend on the type of bar
code you choose with <bctype>.

Bar Code <length> <data>

Code 39 12 (maximum) with

automatic centering

0-9, A-Z, -, (space), $,
/, +, and %

Interleaved 2 of 5 24 (maximum) Pairs of numeric

characters (0-9)

UPC/EAN/JAN UPCA: 12

0-9

UPCE: 7

EAN/JAN-8: 8

EAN/JAN-13: 13

These lengths are fixed
and all include a check
digit.

Codabar 20 (maximum) plus start

and stop characters.
The printer adds the
stop character
automatically.

Data: 0-9, $, -, :, /, .,
and +.

Start characters: a
(the default), b, c, or
d.

Code 128 (UCC/EAN-128) Details

For Code 128 (UCC/EAN-128) bar codes, <length> can be a maximum of
18 (with alphanumeric/control code data) or 36 (if you use subset C and
numeric pairs).

The first character of <data> must specify the subset to use: A, B, or C
(listed as 87, 88, and 89 hex, respectively). The rest of the data can be all
256 ASCII characters by using a combination of the subsets. The data must
appear as numeric pairs corresponding to the hex values for the ASCII
character in question.

Each subset enables the bar code to contain different characters. Subset A
uses 20-3F hex and 40-7F hex (read by a bar code scanner as 00-7F hex),
subset B uses 20-7F hex, and subset C uses 30-39 hex.

The following tables explain how to switch from one subset to another and
use the functions.

Creating and Printing Formats 2-11

Character Subset A Subset B Subset C

80 hex Function 3 Function 3

81 hex Function 2 Function 2

82 hex* Shift Shift

83 hex Switch to Subset C Switch to Subset C

84 hex Switch to Subset B Function 4 Switch to Subset B

85 hex Function 4 Switch to Subset A Switch to Subset A

86 hex Function 1 Function 1 Function 1

* A temporary, one character shift to another subset.

The following table describes the purpose of each function (listed in the
previous table).

Function

Purpose

Number

1 Uses reserved Code 128 characters (UCC/EAN128).

2 Appends data (subsets A and B only). The result is not

readable by all bar code scanners.

3 Initializes a bar code scanner.

4 Extends characters by adding 128 to the ASCII code. For

example, 'a' (97 decimal) is changed to 'β' (225 decimal)

by adding 128 to it. This function is unavailable in subset
C.

2-12 Creating and Printing Formats

Positioning Fields

The following commands/control characters move the supply through the
printer to position the fields on the format. The data stream can also write
spaces to the printer before it prints text to position a field.

NOTE: There are .157-inch no-print zones on the image area’s right and

left sides and a .7-inch no-print zone at the top.

Command Summary

Command Description

D hex (CR) Advances to the beginning of the next line.

C hex (FF) Advances 10 lines.

14 hex (Norm)/F hex (SI) Sets the printer to 42-column mode.

E hex (SO) Sets the printer to 24-column mode.

B hex (VT) Advances 5 lines.

9 hex (HT) Tabs to the next position or the beginning of

the next line.

A hex (LF) Advances to the beginning of the next line.

ESC-'J'-<num> Performs a specified number of line feeds.

<num> 1-FF The number of line feeds, specified in

hex. The default is 1 (.125 mm).

Creating and Printing Formats 2-13

2-14 Creating and Printing Formats

CONFIGURING THE PRINTER

There are several commands for configuring the printer. You can include
these commands at any place in a data stream. This chapter describes
these commands.

3

Selecting the Operating Mode

The printer works in either online or buffer mode. In online mode, the
printer prints characters as soon as they are received. In buffer mode, the
printer receives and stores characters, and then prints them upon receipt of
an EOT control character (4 hex).

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'P#' Selects online mode.

ESC-'P$' Selects buffer mode.

Setting the Print Contrast

You can increase or decrease the print contrast for lighter or darker print.
This setting affects the print speed (the higher the contrast, the lower the
speed and vice versa). The print contrast also depends on the battery
voltage.

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'P'-<value> Sets the print contrast.

<value> 0-9 0 is the highest contrast and 9 is the

lowest contrast. The default is 5.

Configuring the Printer 3-1

Setting the Power Mode

The printer can operate in five different power modes, each using a different
number of
The mode selected also affects the print speed (the more printhead sections
used, the faster the printer speed and vice versa).

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'P'-<value> Sets the power mode.

1 Use one printhead section.

2 Use two printhead sections.

3 Use three printhead sections.

6 Use six printhead sections.

7 Default. Dynamically choose the

printhead sections

<value> The number of printhead sections to use,

, which are groups of dots on the printhead.

specified in hex.

number of printhead sections to use (1,
2, 3, or 6), depending on what is
printed.

Checking the Battery Voltage

The following commands/control characters involve the printer's battery.

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'P^' Prints the battery voltage.

ESC-'P!' Requests the battery voltage from the printer.

3-2 Configuring the Printer

Command Description

16 hex (Ctrl-V) Requests the print buffer and battery statuses.

The printer responds with:

ESC-'B'-#pbchars#-CR-LF-ESC-'V'-#volts#­CR-LF-ESC-'M'-#card#-CR-LF-NAK

#pbchars# The number of characters

currently in the print buffer,
shown as four ASCII hex digits,
which are “OR’d” with 30 hex.

#volts# Four ASCII decimal digits (which

are “OR’d” with 30 hex). The
first three are the battery
voltage (form

The fourth character categorizes
the voltage listed to give it a
reference. Values are 1-4,
where 1 is high and 4 is low.

#card# Four ASCII hex digits (which are

“OR’d” with 30 hex) representing
the time left before the printer
enters sleep mode.

x.x

).

Using the Power-Off Timer

The printer has a power-off timer to conserve battery life. After a specified
period of inactivity occurs, the printer goes into sleep mode.

The printer returns to normal mode when it starts receiving commands
again, but the countdown re-starts after every character received.

Before powering down, the printer transmits Auxon then Xoff. See “Setting
the Communications Parameters” for descriptions of the dip switches and for
information about this feature.

Configuring the Printer 3-3

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'M'-<digit1>­<digit2>-'0'-CR

<digit1> and <digit2>

Example:

ESC-M560-CR

ESC-'C' Sets the inactivity period to the default (20

NOTE: Be careful when using sleep mode with buffer mode. If there is

data in the print buffer when the printer goes into sleep mode, you
lose the data.

Sets the power-off timer’s inactivity period.

0-9 The first and second digits,

respectively, of the number of seconds
to set the inactivity period to. To
disable the timer, set both parameters
to 0.

Sets the inactivity period to 56 seconds.

seconds).

Supply Control Commands

The commands in this section control how the printer uses black-mark
supplies.

Be aware of the features of your supplies (distance between black marks,
existence of any preprinted text, etc.) as you code these commands. For
example, you may have to code the black mark search command multiple
times if the marks are farther apart than the maximum search allows.

To use these commands:

1. Set the sensitivity of the search mechanism in finding the black mark
(ESC-QQ command)

2. Move the supplies forward (ESC-QF command) or backward (ESC-QB or
ESC-QJ commands) to find the black mark.

3. Wait for a response from the printer (found or not found).

4. Send a data stream with printing commands.

3-4 Configuring the Printer

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'QJ'-<lines> Moves the printer backward in .125mm line

increments.

<lines> 00 hex –

The number of lines to move.

FF hex

ESC-'QQ'-<lines> Specifies the number of .125mm lines to

continue printing after failing to detect a black
mark.

<lines> 00 hex –

FF hex

The number of lines to print. The
default is 28 hex.

ESC-'QF'-<max> Searches for a black mark, advancing in

.25mm line increments.

<max> 00 hex –

FF hex

The maximum number of lines to
move.

ESC-'QB'-<max> Searches for a black mark, moving backward

in .25mm line increments.

<max> 00 hex –

FF hex

The maximum number of lines to
move.

Printer Responses

The printer responds to the two black mark search commands, with either of
the following sequences.

Command Description

ESC-'Q'-3F hex-3F hex-

Black mark found.

#high#-#low#

ESC-'Q'-30 hex-30 hex-

Black mark not found.

#high#-#low#

#high# 30 hex –

3F hex

The left digit of the hex number
representing the number of lines
moved to find the black mark.

#low# 30 hex –

3F hex

The right digit of the hex number
representing the number of lines
moved to find the black mark.

Configuring the Printer 3-5

Checking Version Information

Your data stream can check the versions of both the printer’s hardware and
firmware.

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'P(' Requests the firmware version. The printer

responds with:

ESC-'('-#version#-CR-LF-NAK

#version# Four ASCII characters

representing the firmware
version.

ESC-'P)' Requests the hardware version. The printer

responds with:

ESC-')'-'103'-#version#-CR-LF-NAK

#version# An ASCII character representing

the hardware version.

Printer/Device Communications

Following are the communication parameter values to use with the printer.
The defaults are listed in bold.

♦ Baud Rate – 2400, 9600, 19200, or 38.4K
♦ Stop Bits – 1 or 2
♦ Parity – None, Odd, or Even
♦ Data Bits – 7 or 8
♦ Flow Control – RTS/CTS (hardware) or XON/XOFF (software)

The printer and host cannot communicate unless they use the
communication parameter values.

3-6 Configuring the Printer

Other communication specifications:

♦ Word Length –10 or 11 bits
♦ Start Bit – 1
♦ Signal Levels – RS232C
♦ Mark or Logical 1 – -3 to -15VDC
♦ Space or Logical 0 – +3 to +15VDC
♦ Auto Power Up – Positive signal on RTS input turns printer on.

Configuring the Printer 3-7

Setting the Communication Parameters

Use the eight DIP switches to set the RS232 communication, IrDA, and
optional RF values. Gently use a plastic-tipped object to set the DIP
switches. Do not use any metal object!

To activate the DIP switches, turn the printer off and then back on. The
following table describes how to set the DIP switches.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7* 8

Communication
Interface

RS232 OFF

IrDA ON

Baud Rate

38400 OFF OFF

19200 OFF ON

9600 ON OFF

2400 ON ON

Parity

None OFF OFF

Odd ON OFF

Even ON ON

Hardware
Reset

Enable Reset ON

Disable Reset OFF

Printer Power

Continuous

ON

Power On**

Auto Power Off OFF

* Switch 7 is not used.

** The printer stays on all the time – pressing the power (P) button has
no effect.

3-8 Configuring the Printer

Printer Pinouts

There is a port for a 6 PIN RJ25 data connector. It provides RS-232
communications and is located at the back of the printer. The six
connections provide the serial interface to the host. The table below lists
the serial interface signals and pinouts.

NOTE: Pins 1 and 3 must be set on at all times.

Pin # Description Input/Output Signal

3 Signal to printer from host Input RXD

2 Signal from printer to host Output TXD

6 Request to send from Host Input RTS

4 Clear to send from Printer Output CTS

1

5

Following are the pin locations on the connector:

Logic common COM

Configuring the Printer 3-9

Command Summary

The following control characters are related to communications between the
printer and the host.

Command Description

12 hex (Auxon) Sent by the printer to indicate the printer is

online (transmitted upon initial power up, a
paper reload, or clearing of a paper jam).

15 hex (Auxoff) Sent by the printer just before a power down

or when the supplies run out.

11 hex (Xon) Sent by either device to indicate it is ready to

receive data.

13 hex (Xoff) Sent by the receiving device to indicate the

transmission has ended.

Miscellaneous Control Characters

Command Summary

Command Description

18 hex (Cancel) Re-initializes the printer. We recommend you

begin all data streams with this command.

8 hex (BS) Removes the last character entered in the

4 hex (EOT) Sent by the printer to indicate the buffer is

3-10 Configuring the Printer

print buffer.

empty and the printer is idle.

MODIFYING RESIDENT FONTS

You can modify the printer’s resident fonts by redefining the characters.
To modify a font, perform the tasks in the following sections (in the order
the sections are listed).

NOTE: Each time you modify a font, it replaces the current font definition.

The only way to return to the default font is to reload the original
definition.

4

Resident Font Sizes

Following are the resident fonts. Standard bold is the default. Before you
start any modifications, take note of the maximum size of characters in the
font you want to use.

Font Name Pitch Columns

per Line

Reduced Normal 24 CPI normal 72 8x23 ESC+'k'+'5'

Reduced Bold 21 CPI normal 63 9x23 ESC+'k'+'4'

Standard Normal 19 CPI normal 57 10x23 ESC+'k'+'3'

Standard Bold 16 CPI normal 48 12x23 ESC+'k'+'2'

Large Normal 12 CPI normal 32 16x23 ESC+'k'+'1'

Large Rotated
(90 degrees
clockwise)

13 CPI rotated 32 (rows

per line)

Character
Size (WxH)

14x16 ESC+'k'+'0'

Software
Command

Modification Procedure

To modify a font:

1. Define a new character.

2. Select a character set to modify.

3. Load the new character.

4. Save the modified font.

These steps are described in this section.

Modifying Resident Fonts 4-1

Defining New Characters

You must define each new character separately, performing the following
procedure for each one.

1. Define the character in a matrix. The matrix size depends on the font

you use (see “Resident Font Sizes”). Think of the matrix as a bitmap
showing the character’s design. Following is an example.

Left Byte Right Byte

7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

NOTE: Leave at least one column blank to the character’s right so

character strings do not run together.

2. Translate each line into two bit sequences (left byte/right byte), where

an empty square is 0, and a filled-in square is a 1. For example, the
second line from the top is 00000000 01000000.

3. Convert each bit sequence into two hex characters. For example, the

second line from the top is 00 40.

4-2 Modifying Resident Fonts

Selecting Character Sets

Before selecting a character set, remove the printer’s battery and wait
several seconds. Then, replace the battery and immediately use one of
these commands to select the character set to modify.

When it receives either of these commands, the printer copies the character
set to memory, then sends a ‘?’ character to the host.

The printer returns any characters not accepted as part of this command.

NOTE: Do Not send any commands to the printer between turning it on

and selecting the character set.

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'DA0' Selects characters from the ASCII character

set (33-127).

ESC-'DX'-<charfont> Selects characters and fonts from the

Extended PC Line-Draw or International
character set (128-255).

<charfont> 0 Extended PC Line-Draw characters –

Large Rotated, Large Normal, and
Standard Bold fonts.

2 International characters –Large Rotated,

3 International characters –Standard

1 Extended PC Line-Draw characters –

Standard Normal, Reduced Bold, and
Reduced Normal fonts.

Large Normal, and Standard Bold fonts.

Normal, Reduced Bold, and Reduced
Normal fonts.

Modifying Resident Fonts 4-3

Loading New Characters

This step allows you to load the new characters at a particular position in
the set.

Command Summary

Command Description

<ESC>-'D'-<font>­<code>-<matrix>

<font> The font to save the character in.

Value PC Line-Draw

0 Large Normal

1 Standard Normal Large Rotated

2 Reduced Bold

<code> The hex character code for the new character:

#matrix# The hex data from the matrix describing the

Loads a character at a particular position.

Extended PC

Fonts

Standard Bold

Reduced Normal

21 hex – 7F hex (PC Line-Draw) or 80 hex –
FF hex (Extended PC Line-Draw and

International).

new character (see “Defining New
Characters”).

Line-Draw and
International
Fonts

Large Normal
Standard Bold
Standard Normal

Reduced Bold
Reduced Normal

Saving Modified Fonts

To save the modified font into flash memory, use ESC-'D'-FF hex. The
printer sends a ‘D’ character and then performs the save. When the fonts
have been saved, the printer sends a ‘!’ character to the host. Then, it
sends an ‘X’ character every 500 milliseconds.

Next, remove the battery and wait several seconds before replacing it.

4-4 Modifying Resident Fonts

USING THE MAGNETIC CARD

5

READER

Optional. Your printer may have a magnetic card reader, which reads
up to three tracks of magnetically encoded data from cards conforming to
the ANSI/ISO 7810 and 7811 standards. After reading the data, the printer
returns the information to the host.

Following is a summary of what occurs on a use of the reader:

1. The host wakes up the printer by sending some characters to it.

2. The printer responds with an XON character.

3. The device starts the reader (ESC-M command). The green LED lights.

4. The user swipes a card.

5. If the swipe was successful, the reader turns off and the printer

transmits the data read. If an error occurs, the red LED lights. If the
reader times out, the printer transmits a message.

Using the Magnetic Card Reader 5-1

Command Summary

Command Description

ESC-'M'-#timer#­<tracks>-CR

Prepares the reader for a magnetic card
swipe. The reader’s LED turns on when the
printer receives this command, indicating it is
waiting for the user to swipe the card. On a
successful swipe, the LED goes out.

#timer# Sets the reader’s timer. If the user does not

swipe the card through the reader before the
timer runs out, an error occurs. Values are
00-99 (seconds). 00 disables the timer.

<tracks> The combination of tracks to read.

1 Track 1 only.

2 Track 2 only.

3 Track 3 only.

4 Tracks 1 and 2 together.

5 Tracks 2 and 3 together.

6 Tracks 1, 2, and 3 together.

The reader responds to the read command
with:

#trck#-(data)-'?'-CR-LF-NAK

#trck# Track indicator. Values are %/1/

(track 1), ;/2/ (track 2), and +/3/
(track3).

(data) The data read from the card. This

field can be empty. If an error
occurs, this field contains an E
character and the error message text
(see ”Error Messages”).

5-2 Using the Magnetic Card Reader

Command Description

2 hex (Ctrl-B) Requests the print buffer and card reader

statuses. The printer responds with:

ESC-'B'-#pb#-CR-LF-ESC-'M'-#sleep#-CR-LF­NAK

#pb# The number of characters currently

in the print buffer, shown as four
hex digits, which are “OR’d” with
30 hex.

#sleep# Four ASCII hex digits (which are

“OR’d” with 30 hex) representing
the time left before the printer
enters sleep mode.

ESC-'C' Cancels the reading process.

Error Messages

Following is the format of the data returned when an error occurs with the
magnetic card reader. When an error occurs, the reader’s LED blinks once.

Syntax Description

'%'-'E,'-#error#-','-(text)-

Indicates an error occurred.

CR-LF

#error#,(text) Error number and corresponding text.

05 Timeout Expired.

07 Invalid Track Number.

08 Unsupported Track Selected.

09 Cancel Request.

Keep the value for the timer long enough to allow the swipe, but small
enough to not allow multiple swipes. If multiple swipes are done (with
different cards) and each uses different tracks to store data, the data sent
back to the host is a mixture from the two cards.

Using the Magnetic Card Reader 5-3

5-4 Using the Magnetic Card Reader

CONTROL CHARACTERS

The following characters are reserved and used to assist in printer
control. The printer also provides single byte responses to inform the
host of the printer status.

Character Control Hex / Dec Control Action

EOT ^D 0x04 / 04 End Of Text

Signals to the host device that the printer
is in idle mode and the print buffer is
empty.

BS ^H 0x08 / 08 Backspace

Removes the previous character in the
print buffer.

HT ^I 0x09 / 09 Horizontal Tab

Advances to the next tab position (from
the following list) or to the beginning of
the next line: 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33,

37.

LF ^J 0x0A / 10 Line Feed

Advances to beginning of next line.

VT ^K 0x0B / 11 Vertical Tab

Advances 5 lines.

FF ^L 0x0C / 12 Form Feed

Advances 10 lines.

CR ^M 0x0D / 13 Carriage Return

Advances to beginning of next line.

SO ^N 0x0E / 14 Shift Out

Switches to 24-column print mode

SI ^O 0x0F / 15 Shift In

Switches to 42-column print mode.

A

Control Characters A-1

Character Control Hex / Dec Control Action

XON ^Q 0x11 / 17 Transmitter On

Signals that the device is ready to
receive data (can be sent by the printer
or host).

AUXON ^R 0x12 / 18 Printer on

Signals to the host that the printer is
online. It is sent after initial power up,
clearing a supply jam, or a supply reload.

XOFF ^S 0x13 / 19 Printer receiver is off

Signals to the host that the print buffer is
full or an error has occurred.

Signals to the printer that the host’s
transmitter is off.

NORM ^T 0x14 / 20 Switches to 42-column print mode.

AUXOFF ^U 0x15 / 21 Printer is off

Signals to the host that the printer is out
of supply or has powered down.

CANCEL ^X 0x18 / 24 Cancel and reset printer

Resets the print buffer places the printer
in initial power-up mode with the default
settings.

ESC ^[ 0x1B / 27 Escape

Indicates that the following characters
are part of a printer control language
command.

EXTEND ^\ 0x1C / 28 Extended print

Prints characters double high.

EXTEND
OFF

^] 0x1D / 29 Extended print off/Normal print

Prints characters at the normal height.

A-2 Control Characters

COMMAND SUMMARY

This appendix serves as a functional summary of the printer control
language commands for the 9430R printer. Earlier sections in this
manual describe the commands in detail.

Choosing a Font

Font Name Character size (WxH) Command String

Reduced Normal 8x21 ESC-'k5'

Reduced Bold 9x21 ESC-'k4'

Standard Normal 10x21 ESC-'k3'

Standard Bold 12x21 ESC-'k2'

Large Normal 16x21 ESC-'k1'

Large Rotated (90
degrees clockwise)

Choosing a Character Set/Printing Characters

Command String Printer Action

ESC-'F1' Selects the International character set.

ESC-'F2' Selects the PC Line-Draw character set.

ESC-'U1' Enables bold printing.

ESC-'U0' Disables bold printing.

ESC-'a'-<space> Selects the dot line spacing between

ESC-'z'-<bctype>-<length>­<height>-<data>

ESC-'Z'-<bctype>-<length>­<height>-<data>

14x16 ESC-'k0'

printed lines.

Prints a bar code without human-readable
data.

Prints a bar code with human-readable
data.

B

Command Summary B-1

Printing Graphics

Command String Printer Action

ESC-'J'-<num> Performs a line feed.

ESC-'P#' Selects online mode, characters are printed

when received.

ESC-'P$' Selects buffer mode, characters are printed

on receipt of an EOT character.

ESC-'V'-<lines1>-<lines2>­#data#

ESC-'v'-<height>-<width>­<counter>-(data)

ESC-'DL' Performs step 1 of entering flash memory

ESC-'LG0' Performs step 2 of entering flash memory

ESC-'LG'-FF hex Saves a flash memory graphic.

ESC-'Lg0' Prints the stored flash memory graphic.

Prints a line from a data stream graphic.

Specifies a line of a compressed graphic
Command

graphic download mode.

graphic download mode.

Supply Control Commands

Command String Printer Action

ESC-'QJ'-<lines> Moves the supply backward in .125mm

ESC-'QQ'-<lines> Specifies the number of lines to continue

ESC-'QF'-<max> Moves the supply forward in .25mm

ESC-'QB'-<max> Moves the supply backward in .25mm

B-2 Command Summary

increments, looking for a black mark.

printing after failing to find a black mark.

increments, looking for a black mark.

increments, looking for a black mark.

Font Modification

Command String Printer Action

ESC-'DAO' Selects characters from the ASCII

character set.

ESC-'DX'-<charfont> Selects extended characters from the PC

Line-Draw or International character sets.

ESC-'D'-<font>-<code>­<matrix>

Loads a character at a particular position.

Configuring the Printer

Command String Printer Action

ESC-'P^' Prints the battery voltage.

ESC-'P'-<value> Sets the power mode (when <value> is

hex).

Sets the print contrast (when <value> is
decimal).

ESC-'Mnn0'-cr Sets the power down timer to nn seconds

(000 = disable timer).

ESC-'C' Resets auto power down to 20 seconds.

ESC-'P!' Requests the printer’s battery voltage.

ESC-'P(' Queries the printer firmware version.

ESC-'P)' Queries the printer hardware model.

Using the Magnetic Card Reader

Command String Printer Action

ESC-'M'-#timer#-<tracks>­CR

Prepares the reader for a card swipe.

Command Summary B-3

B-4 Command Summary

INDEX

B

bar code

fields, creating, 2-9

specifying particular, 2-11

types available, 2-11

bar code field creation commands, 2-10

battery voltage, checking, 3-2

black mark supplies, 3-4

buffer mode, 3-1

C

character

defining new, 4-2

exceptions, 2-2

loading new, 4-4

sets, selecting (creating text fields),

2-2

sets, selecting (font modification), 4-3

checking

battery voltage, 3-2

print buffer status, 3-3

version information, 3-6

Codabar bar codes, 2-11

Code 128 (UCC/EAN-128) bar codes,

2-11

Code 39 bar codes, 2-11

command summary, B-1

commands

bar code field creation, 2-10

battery voltage checking, 3-2

character set selection, 2-3

data stream graphic, 2-4

field positioning, 2-13

flash memory graphic, 2-6

formatting text, 2-3

loading new characters, 4-4

magnetic card reader, 5-2

miscellaneous control characters, 3-10

operating mode selection, 3-1

power mode setting, 3-2

power-off timer, 3-4

print contrast setting, 3-1

printer/device communication, 3-10

supply control, 3-5

version information checking, 3-6

communication parameters, 3-6

communication parameters, setting, 3-8

communications between the printer and

device, 3-6

compressed graphics, 3-8

configuring printer, 3-1

contrast, print, 3-1

control characters, A-1

Index-1

control characters, miscellaneous, 3-10

fonts

control of supplies, 3-4

conventions in manual, 1-1

creating

bar code fields, 2-9

formats, 2-1

graphic fields, 2-4

text fields, 2-1

D

data stream graphics, 2-4

defining new characters, 4-2

device/printer communications, 3-6

duty cycle, 1-1

E

errors, magnetic card reader, 5-3

exceptions, character, 2-2

F

modified, 4-4

resident, 4-1

sizes, 4-1

formats

definition, 2-1

printing and creating, 2-1

formatting text, 2-3

G

graphics

data stream, 2-4

fields, 2-4

flash memory, 2-5

graphics, compressed, 2-8

H

hardware version, 3-6

I

Index-2

fields

bar code, 2-9

definition, 2-1

graphic, 2-4

positioning, 2-13

text, 2-1

firmware version, 3-6

flash memory graphic commands, 2-6

flash memory graphics, 2-5

font modification procedure, 4-1

initialization of printer, 3-10

Interleaved 2 of 5 bar codes, 2-11

introduction, 1-1

L

loading new characters, 4-4

M

magnetic card reader

errors, 5-3

using, 5-1

manual, conventions in, 1-1

mode

buffer, 3-1

online, 3-1

operating, 3-1

power, 3-2

modification of fonts, procedure, 4-1

modifying resident fonts, 4-1

O

online mode, 3-1

operating mode, selecting, 3-1

R

resident fonts, modifying, 4-1

responses (supply control), 3-5

S

saving modified fonts, 4-4

selecting

character sets (creating text fields),

2-2

character sets (font modification), 4-3

operating mode, 3-1

setting

P

pinouts of the printer, 3-9

positioning fields, 2-13

power mode, setting, 3-2

power-off timer, using, 3-3

print buffer status, checking, 3-3

print contrast, setting, 3-1

printer

configuring, 3-1

initialization, 3-10

supply control responses, 3-5

printer pinouts, 3-9

printer/device communications, 3-6

printing formats, 2-1

power mode, 3-2

print contrast, 3-1

setting communication parameters, 3-8

sizes of fonts, 4-1

status, print buffer, 3-3

supplies, black mark, 3-4

supply control commands, 3-4

T

text

fields, creating, 2-1

formatting, 2-3

timer, power-off, 3-3

Index-3

U

UPC/EAN/JAN bar codes, 2-11

using

data stream graphics, 6-4

flash memory graphics, 2-5

magnetic card reader, 5-1

power-off timer, 3-3

V

version information, checking, 3-6

voltage, battery, 3-2

Index-4