Paxar Monarch 2 User Manual

Programmer’s

Programmer’s Manual

Monarch

Sierra Sportä 2

Manual

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2,"$0.416"|

3,"6387910981"|

4,"KB DIAPERS"|

5,"SM"|

6,"24_PK"|

7,"6387910981"| }

Printer

$9.99 $0.416 ea.

SKU 6387910981

KB DIAPERS SM 24-pk.

SKU 6387910981

KB DIAPERS SM 24-pk.

SKU 6387910981

KB DIAPERS SM 24-pk.

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.

©2000 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.

WARNI NG

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 c ause 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®, Sierra Sport, and 9460 are trademarks of Paxar Americas, Inc. Paxar® is a trademark of Paxar Corporation. Avery Dennison® is a trademark of Avery Dennison Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, and NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Novell and NetWare are trademarks of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Centronics is a registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corporation. Adobe and Acrobat are trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated. UFST, Monotype, the Monotype logo, and CG Triumvirate are trademarks of Monotype Imaging, Inc.

Avery Dennison Printer Systems Division 170 Monarch Lane Miamisburg, OH 45342

TABLE OF CONTENTS

GETTING STARTED

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

Standard Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

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

Printer Memory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

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

Considering Field Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8

Considering Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

Using the Format Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

CONFIGURING THE PRINTER

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

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

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

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

Using RAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

Using Flash Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Filling in the Format Worksheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9

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

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

Configuration Syntax Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

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

Table of Contents

Making Print Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

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

Defining the Supply Setup Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

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

Defining the Monetary Formatting Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13

Defining the Control Characters Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Resetting Control Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15

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

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

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

Defining the Communication Settings Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18

Defining the Backfeed Control Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19

Special Considerations When Using Backfeed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20

Defining the Memory Configuration Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21

Checking Current Buffer Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-22

About Memory Buffers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-23

Buffer Worksheet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25

Buffer Allocation Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-25

Memory Considerations with Downloaded TrueType Fonts . . . . . . . 2-26

Clearing Packets from Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-27

Using the Font Packet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28

Uploading Format Header Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-30

DEFINING FIELDS

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

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

Defining Bar Code Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Defining Constant Text Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15

Defining Line Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

Defining Box Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21

Table of Contents

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

Line Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

DEFINING FIELD OPTIONS

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

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

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

Option 2 (Data Type Restrictions). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4

Option 4 (Copy Data) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Merging Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Sub-Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Option 30 (Padding Data) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Sample Use for Padding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Option 31 (Calculate Check Digit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Option 42 (Price Field) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9

Option 50 (Bar Code Density) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10

Option 51 (PDF417 Security/Truncation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11

Option 52 (PDF417 Width/Length). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Option 60 (Incrementing/Decrementing Fields) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

Fixing the First Number in the Incrementing Sequence . . . . . . . . . . 4-13

Option 61 (Reimage Field) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14

Using Check Digits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15

Sum of Products Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16

Sum of Digits Calculation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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

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

Table of Contents

iii

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

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

Using Temporary Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

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

Positioning the Graphic Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

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 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18

Defining the Graphic Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18

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

PRINTING

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

Defining the Batch Header. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Defining the Batch Control Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Defining Batch Data Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Using Special Characters in Batch Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Merged or Sub-Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Incrementing Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

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

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

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

Table of Contents

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

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

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

TROUBLESHOOTING

Printing Diagnostics Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

Reading Diagnostics Labels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

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

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

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

ENQ Reference Table - Byte #2 (continued) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5

ENQ Reference Table - Byte #3 (continued) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7

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

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

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

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

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

Check Digit Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-13

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

Communication Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-14

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

Table of Contents

Data Formatting Failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-15

Machine Faults. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-16

Flash Memory Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-18

Hard Printer Failure Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19

PRINTER OPTIMIZATION

Adjusting the Print Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2

Reducing Imaging Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3

General Format Tips and Hints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5

SAMPLES

FONTS

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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

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

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

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

Proportional Font Magnification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6

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

Table of Contents

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

Height Magnification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

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

Height Maginfication 203 DPI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8

Scalable/TrueType® Font Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

Format Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

Downloading Fonts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

Using UNICODE (Double-Byte) TrueType® Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

Character Mapping Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-12

Sample UNICODE (Double-Byte) Font Format and Batch . . . . . . . . B-12

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

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

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

SYMBOL SETS/CODE PAGES

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

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

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

Using International Character Sets/Code Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2

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

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

Bold Character Set. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

OCRA Character Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5

Code Page 437 (Latin U.S.). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5

Code Page 850 (Latin 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6

Code Page 852 (Latin 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6

Code Page 855 (Russian) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

Code Page 857 (IBM Turkish) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-7

Code Page 860 (MS-DOS Portuguese). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

Code Page 1250 (Latin 2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

Code Page 1251 (Cyrillic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-9

Code Page 1252 (Latin 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-9

Code Page 1253 (Greek). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-10

Code Page 1254 (Turkish) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-10

Code Page 1255 (Hebrew) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-11

Code Page 1256 (Arabic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-11

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

Table of Contents

vii

Code Page 1257 (Baltic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-12

Code Page 1258 (Vietnamese). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-12

ASCII to Hexadecimal Conversion Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-13

Binary to Hex Conversion Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-16

Dot to Run Length Encoding Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-20

ON (Black) Dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-20

OFF (White Dots) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-20

FORMAT DESIGN TOOLS

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

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

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

GLOSSARY

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1

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

viii

Table of Contents

GETTING STARTED

Before you read this manual, review the printer information in the Operator’s Handbook.

About This Manual

This manual is for the developer who is creating the formats for the printer.

Use this manual to design and print your own custom formats on the Monarch® Sierra Sport 2 printer. This chapter creates a sample Monarch® Printer Control Language II (MPCLII) packet.

Standard Features

The following features are standard on the printer: 203 dots per inch (DPI) printhead, 1.89 inch by 12 inch maximum print image, print speed (1.5, 2, or 3 inches per second), graphical LCD, 5 buttons (on/off, feed, and 3 context-sensitive), 512K RAM with an additional 2MB flash memory.

Getting Started

1-1

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. This section describes how to create a sample MPCLII format packet.

Make sure supplies are loaded, you have a fully charged battery, the printer is connected to a host and ready to receive data, and you have software in the printer. Refer your Operator’s Handbook for more information.

Type the following format header, in any text editor:

{F,25,A,R,E,200,200,"FMT-25" p

Type the following constant text field:

C,140,40,0,1,2,1,W,C,0,0,"SAMPLE FORMAT",1 p

Type the following bar code field:

B,1,12,F,85,40,1,2,40,5,L,0 p

Type the following text field:

1-2

Getting Started

T,2,18,V,50,50,1,3,1,1,B,L,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,"02802811111" p

Type the following text field data:

2,"TEXT FIELD" p }

Save your file as SAMPLE.FMT.

Import the packets into your communications software or send

it to the printer’s communication port through the Monarch® MPCL Toolbox Download Utility.

Printer Memory

The printer has both RAM and flash memory. You can use one or both types of memory, depending on how you use your printer.

Using RAM

Use RAM for temporary storage. It is volatile; the contents are lost when you turn the printer off. The printer has 512K of RAM.

RAM can contain formats, graphics, batches, and fonts. In the header of each packet, you specify to send it to RAM. Then, to download them to the printer from a host device. See Chapter 3, "Defining Fields," for more information.

Getting Started

1-3

Using Flash Memory

Use flash memory for permanent storage. It is non-volatile; the contents stay in place until erased. The printer has 2MB of flash memory, depending on your configuration.

To load flash memory, use either the Monarch® MPCL Toolbox Soft Font Utility (fonts) or the Label Designer software (formats).

Every time you download these packets into flash memory, another copy is made, even if it is already in memory. After doing this several times, you will eventually use up flash memory.

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?

Do you want to include graphics?

Determining the Print Area

The print area varies, depending on the size of your supply. Below are the maximum and minimum print areas. Notice that the top edge of the supply exits the printer first. There is a non-print zone (0.055 inches) on either edge of the supply.

Unit of Measure

English (1/100")

Metric (1/10mm)

Dots (1/203 dots)

Maximum Supply Size

205 x 1200 189 x 1200 50 x 37.5 37.5 x 37.5

521 x 3048 480 x 3048 127 x 95 95 x 95

416 x 2436 384 x 2436 102 x 76 76 x 76

Maximum Print Area

Minimum Supply Size

Minimum Print Area

The length you can print is dependent on the amount of memory you allocate for the image buffer. See "Defining the Memory Configuration Packet" in Chapter 2.

For exact print area measurements of your

supply, see the supply layout grids in

Appendix D.

Getting Started

1-5

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

Dots = inches x 203 Metric (1/10mm) = inches x 254 English (1/100 inch) = 100 x (dots/203) Dots = Metric (1/10 mm) x .797

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.

1-6

Getting Started

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:

English

The English grid is measured in 1/100 inches.

Supply Layout (Inches)

10.8

- Indicates no-print a

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).

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

9.6

8.4

7.2

Im age Length

4.8

3.6

2.4

1.2

Im age W idth

1.42

.4 7

.9 5

1.89

Getting Started

1-7

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.

1-8

Getting Started

Considering Fonts

When working with fonts, you have three considerations:

font appearance

font size (bitmapped)

font spacing (monospaced or proportional)

See Appendix B, "Fonts," for samples of each font.

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

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.

Getting Started

1-9

1-10

Getting Started

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

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:

Character

Decimal Value Description

{ (left bracket) 123 start of header

} (right bracket) 125 end of header

p (vertical bar) 124 field separator*

, (comma) 044 parameter separator

"ABC" (quotation marks)

‘comment‘

(single quotation marks)

034 Quotation marks enclose character

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

039 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.

* The field separator is the split vertical bar, which we are representing as p in this

manual. The decimal value is 124. To enter this character, use the Shift key plus the Split Vertical Bar key on your computer’s keyboard. Depending on your text editor, it may appear as a solid vertical bar or as a split vertical bar.

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 200 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 within a field definition. 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 - M 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.

Configuring the Printer

2-5

Always include an I before the packet identifier (A, B, C, etc.). The I

, immediately after the left bracket { and

parameter

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

are sending multiple packets.

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

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 G, parameter 1...parameter 4 p M, parameter 1...parameter 4 p }

Start of Header Configuration Header

System Setup Supply Setup Print Control Monetary Formatting Control Characters Communication Settings Backfeed Control Memory Configuration 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 I

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.

2-6

Configuring the Printer

Syntax

{I, p }

Example

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

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

{I,0,U,N p }

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

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 G,0,65,65 p M,R,R,160 p M,T,R,20 p M,I,R,320 p M,D,N,1280 p M,F,N,640 p M,V,R,1280 p

The parameters for each packet (A - M) are displayed. In the first line that begins with M, 8725 is the total volatile memory available, 1345 is the memory used in volatile RAM. 2535 is the total non-volatile memory available, 615 is the memory used in non-volatile RAM. The remaining lines beginning with M list the buffer sizes in 1/10K for the Receive, Transmit, Image, Downloadable Fonts, Formats, and Scalable Fonts Buffers.

Configuring the Printer

2-7

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:

2-8

Configuring the Printer

Supply adjustments across the width of your supply, such as the margin position, are based in dots. The printhead has 203 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.

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

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

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. The printer does not print batch

separators. Enter 0.

A5. slash_zero Slash Zero. Options:

A6. symbol_set Symbol Set. Use 0 for the Internal Symbol Set. For font 50 or

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

TrueType® fonts, use:

1 ANSI 2 Code Page 437 (Latin U.S.) 3 Code Page 850 (Latin 1) 4 Code Page 1250 (Latin 2) 5 Code Page 1251 (Cyrillic) 6 Code Page 1252 (Latin 1) 7 Code Page 1253 (Greek) 8 Code Page 1254 (Turkish) 9 Code Page 1255 (Hebrew) 10 Code Page 1256 (Arabic) 11 Code Page 1257 (Baltic) 12 Code Page 1258 (Vietnamese) 13 DOS Code Page 852 (Latin 2) 14 DOS Code Page 855 (Russian) 15 DOS Code Page 857 (IBM Turkish) 16 DOS Code Page 860 (MS-DOS Portuguese) 19 UNICODE

Note: The CG Triumvirate typefaces support only ANSI

and DOS Code Page 437 and 850 Symbol Sets. The scalable font does not support Code Page 1256 (Arabic). The UNICODE code page is for downloaded UNICODE (double-byte) fonts. See Appendix C, "Symbol Sets/Code Pages," for more information.

Configuring the Printer

2-9

Example

{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.

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,ph_energy,feed_mode, supply_posn p}

B1. B Supply Setup Packet

B2. supply_type Supply Type. Options:

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

Note: You must use non-indexed supply in continuous

B3. ph_energy

Note: Monarch does not recommend that you print serial

B4. feed_mode Feed Mode. Options:

mode. Also, you may need to adjust the print contrast (in the Print Control packet), based on the type of supply you are using.

0 Standard Supplies 1 Special (fax paper) 2 High Energy (linerless and synthetic)

bar codes with linerless supplies.

0 Continuous operation (default) 1 On-demand mode (purchase optional)

2-10

Configuring the Printer

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