SATO CX200 Programming Manual

CX200

Desktop Printer

®

Programming

Guide

Click to Display
Document List

SATO America, Inc.

10350-A Nations Ford Rd.

Charlotte, NC 28273

Main Phone:[phone]

Technical SupportHot Line:[phone]

Fax:[phone]

http://www.satoamerica.com

© Copyright 1998

SATO America, Inc.

Warning: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B computing device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed in accordance with the instruction may cause
harmful interference to radio communications.However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
harmful interference to to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try and correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet or a circuit different from that to

which the receiver is connected.

• Consult an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Caution: The FCC warns the users that changes or modifications of the unit not
expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.

All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or issued to third
parties in any form whatsoever without the express permission of SATO America, Inc.
The material in this document is provided for general information and is subject to
change without notice. SATO America, Inc. assumes no responsibility for any errors
that might appear.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CX200 Programming Guide

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The SATO Programming Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Selecting Protocol Control Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Using Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Print Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Rotated Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Command Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Printer Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Label Sensing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Command Code Page Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Bar Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Bar Codes, Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Bar Codes, Variable Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Base Reference Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Characters, Custom Designed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Character Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Character, Fixed Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Character Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Character, Proportional Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Clear Print Jobs & Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Continuous Forms Printing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Copy Image Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Cutter Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Fonts, U, S, M, OA, OB, XU, XS and XM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Fonts, WB,WL, XB and XL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Form Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Form Overlay Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Form Overlay Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Graphics, Custom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Graphics, PCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Journal Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Lines and Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Line Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Off-Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Postnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Print Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Print Length, Expanded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Print Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Print Quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Print Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Repeat Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Replace Data (Partial Edit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Reverse Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Rotate, Fixed Base Reference Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Rotate, Moving Base Reference Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Sequential Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Start/Stop Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

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Expanded Memory Option Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Fonts, TrueType Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Fonts, TrueType Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Graphics, Custom Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

Graphics, Custom Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Graphics, PCX Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Graphics, PCX Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Initialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Slot Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Two-Dimensional Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Maxicode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

PDF417 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Configuration Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Calibrate Sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Custom Protocol Command Codes Download . . . . . . . . . . 87

Label Tear-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Print Darkness Fine Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Print Test Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Set Print Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Set RS232 Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Set Sensor Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

Backfeed Enable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

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CX200 PROGRAMMING GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

This section presents the commands that are used with the SATO CX printers to
produce labels with logos, bar codes and alphanumeric data.

The following information is presented in this section:

• The SATO Programming Language

• Selecting Protocol Control Codes

• Using Basic

• The Print Area

• Printer Configuration

• Command Codes

THE SATO PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

A programming language for a printer is a familiar concept to most programmers. It is
a group of commands that are designed to use the internal intelligence of the printer.
The commands, which are referred to as SATO Command Codes, contain
non-printable ASCII characters (such as <STX>, <ETX>, <ESC>) and printable
characters. These commands must be assembled into an organized block of code to be
sent as one data stream to the printer, which in turn interprets the command codes
and generates the desired label output. The programmer is free to use any
programming language available to send the desired data to the printer.

The command codes used are based upon “Escape” (1B hexadecimal) sequences.
Typically there are four types of command sequences:

<ESC>{Command}

These commands generally tell the printer to perform a specific action, like “clear the
memory.”

<ESC>{Command} {Data}

Commands with this format tell the printer to perform a specific action which is
dependent upon the following data, like “print X labels”, where the value for X is
contained in the data.

<ESC>{Command} {Parameter}

These commands set the operational parameters of the printer, like “set the print
speed to 3.”

<ESC> {Command} {Parameter} {Data}

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CX200 Programming Guide

Some commands can contain both Parameter and Data elements, such as “print a
Code 39 symbol containing the data.”

SELECTING PROTOCOL CONTROL CODES

Protocol codes are the special control characters that prepare the printer to receive
instructions. For example, the <ESC> character tells the printer that a command
code will follow.

The Protocol Control Code set set is made up of six special characters. The Standard
Protocol Control codes are non-printable characters. They can be changed to
printable characters using the Protocol Control code download command. This may
be useful on host computers using protocol converters or in an application where
non-printable ASCII characters cannot be sent from the host. This manual uses the
Standard Protocol Control codes for all of the examples.

The Protocol Control codes must be downloaded from the host using the <ESC>LD
command (see Page 90). Once they are downloaded, the printer will not respond to
standard protocol codes. The current protocol codes active in a printer can be
determined by printing a Test Label (see CX200 User’s Guide, Page 9).

USING BASIC

It may be useful to test your printer using a BASIC program on a PC. You may also
write your actual production programs in BASIC. Whatever the reason, if you will be
working in BASIC, some of the following hints may help you get started:

1. Set the WIDTH of the output device to 255 characters to avoid automatically

CONTROL

CHARACTER

STX 02 Start of Data

ETX 03 End of Data
ESC 1B Command code to follow
ENQ 05 Not Used on CX200
CAN 18 Not Used on CX200

Off-Line 40 Take printer Off-Line

HEX VALUE DESCRIPTION

sending <CR> and <LF> characters after every line. The command string
should be continuous and uninterrupted by <CR> and/or <LF> commands.
The examples given in this manual are printed on separate lines because they
will not fit on one line and do not contain any <CR> and/or <LF> characters. If
these characters are needed, they are explicitly noted by the inclusion of <CR>
and <LF> notations.

2. If you are using the printer’s RS232 interface, it is necessary to set the COM port on
the PC such that the CTS and DSR signals will be ignored. Send your OPEN
“COM” statement in the following way:

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CX200 Programming Guide

OPEN “COM1:9600,E,8,1,CS,DS” AS #1

This sets the RS232 communication parameters of the host PC’s COM1 port for 9600
baud, Even parity, 8 Data bits, 1 Stop bit and directing the port to ignore the CTS
and DSR control signals.

3. You may want to minimize keystrokes and program size by assigning the <ESC>
character to a string variable since this character is used quite often.

The following two examples in BASIC show a typical example using these hints. Both
of these examples use the Standard Protocol codes.

Printing with the Parallel Port

5 REM Parallel Example Identifies the program as a parallel port

print label. The “REM” prevents this
data from being sent to the printer and
displays it only on the screen.

10

E$=CHR$(27) Sets the “E$” string as an <ESC>

character

20

WIDTH “LPT1:”,255 Sets the width of the output to 255

characters

30

LPRINT E$;"A"; Sends an “<ESC>A” command code to

the LPT1 parallel port

40

LPRINT E$;"H400";E$;"V100";E$;"WL1SATO"; Sends the data “SATO” to be to be

placed 400 dots horizontally and 100
dots vertically on the label and printed in
the “WL” font.

50

LPRINT E$;"Q1"; Instructs the printer to print one label.

60

LPRINT E$; “Z”; Tells the printer that the last command

has been sent. The printer can now
create and print the job.

Printing with the RS232 Port

5 REM RS232 Example Identifies the program as a RS232 port

print label. The “REM” prevents this
data from being sent to the printer and
displays it only on the screen.

10

E$=CHR$(27) Sets the “E$” string as an <ESC>

character.

20

OPEN “COM1:9600,N,8,1,CS,DS” AS #1 Opens the COM1 port for output and

sets the parameters as 9600 baud, No
parity, 8 Data bits, 1 Stop bit and
instructs the port to ignore the CTS and
DSR control signals.

30

PRINT #1,CHR$ (2); Sends an <STX> (ASCII Code a

decimal “2”) to the printer instructing it
to prepare to receive a message.

40

PRINT #1,E$;"A"; Sends an “<ESC>A” command code to

Print Port #1 opened by statement 20
above.

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CX200 Programming Guide

50 PRINT #1, E$;"H400";E$;"V100";E$;"WL0SATO"; Sends the data “SATO” to be to be

60

PRINT #1, E$;"Q1"; Instructs the printer to print a quantity of

70

PRINT #1, E$; “Z”; Tells the printer that the last command

80

PRINT #1,CHR$ (3); Sends an <ETX> (ASCII Code decimal

THE PRINT AREA

The maximum print area is 7 inches long in the standard mode and 14 inches long if
the length is expanded with the Expanded Print Length command. Most of your label
applications will fit into this area, therefore, it is important to understand how to
work with labels that do not use the entire print area. The goal is to help you avoid
printing where no label exists, which may lead to print head damage, not to mention
the frustration when you cannot see the printed output.

placed 400 dots horizontally and 100
dots vertically on the label and printed in
the “WL” font.

one label.

has been sent. The printer can now
create and print the job.

“3”) to the printer telling it that this is the
end of the message.

The diagram below illustrates the print area for a sample 2 inch wide by 3 inch long
label placed within this area. As can be seen, your label will be oriented against the
inside left edge of the printer as viewed from the front (label exit) of the printer. The
normal reference point is located at the H1, V1 position of the print area in the
normal print orientation (no rotation).

Normal Reference Point

H1, V1

3"

label

length

Your

Label

7"
Print
Area

2.1"

label Width

2.0"

from Edge

Direction

Label Feed

4.1"

Print Area

Page 4PN9001055 Rev. ESATOCX200Printers

The base refernece point is always on the right edge of the print head as you face the
front (label exit) of the printer. If you are using a label that is narrower than the
maximum print width, you may have to adjust the base reference point of the
Left-Hand printer to correctly position the print area. There are two methods
available as follows:

1. Send the Base Reference Point command as part of your data to the printer to set a
new base reference point for your label.

Calculate the distance (in dots) from the normal base reference point to the closest
edge of the label. If you wanted to move the print area over to the left (as viewed
from the front or label exit end of the printer) 2.1 inches:

Label Width = 2.0" x 25.4 mm/in x 8 dpmm = 406 dots

The new base reference point then becomes:

New Base Reference Point = max print width - label width

= 832 dots - 406 dots = 426

Issue the Base Reference Point command after the Start command in your data
stream.

<ESC>A3H0426V0001

This resets the reference point for all the following data.

Note: After the reference point is moved, you can no longer print on the 426 dot
“margin” unless the reference point is reset.

2. Use the normal base reference point from the print area and use the horizontal
position for each field to properly locate it on the label.

Calculate the distance (in dots) from the normal base reference point to the closest
edge of the label.

Shift Distance = 2.1" x 25.4 mm/in x 8 dpmm = 426 dots
New Base Reference Point = 832 dots - 426 dots = 406

Each <ESC>H command would have the value “406” added to it to correctly
position each field.

The Command Code subsection contains a sample label output for each command
code. These samples reflect how the printed information would appear on a five inch
wide label (see illustration). If you want to test any of the sample label outputs and
are using labels less than five inches in width, you will have to adjust the positioning
accordingly so that the printer does not try to print where there is no label.

You must be careful not to print off the label surface as the label provides a heat sink
for the print head elements. Doing so will cause irreparable damage to the head. This
damage is not covered under the print head warranty.

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CX200 Programming Guide

Base Reference

Point, H=0001

Label

4"

For example, the following illustrates a sample data stream and the resulting label
assuming a four inch wide label:

<ESC>A
<ESC>H0050<ESC>V0100<ESC>L0303<ESC>MSATO
<ESC>H0050<ESC>V0200<ESC>B103100*SATO*
<ESC>H0070<ESC>V0310<ESC>L0101<ESC>USATO
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Label

2"

Base Reference

Point, H=0001

H=50

V=100

SATO

V=200

*SATO*

V=310

If you are using a two inch wide label, the entire image may not appear on your label.
By adding the following Base Reference Point command to the second line of the data
stream, the base reference point will be changed, causing the image to be shifted over
toward the inside of the printer where it can be printed on the narrower label.

*SATO*

SATO

H=70

2"

Unshifted Print Area

4.1"

<ESC>A
<ESC>A3H0406V0001
<ESC>H0050<ESC>V0100<ESC>L0303<ESC>MSATO
<ESC>H0050<ESC>V0200<ESC>B103100*SATO*
<ESC>H0170<ESC>V0310<ESC>L0101<ESC>USATO
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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CX200 Programming Guide

SATOSATO

Original image must be moved towards

the left (facing the printer) to make it

The image reference point is set at the left edge (facing the printer) of the label so
that it can be printed on a 2 inch wide label.

Note: The printers will not “wrap” images that extend beyond the print area. If any part
of a character or image extends beyond the print area, it will disappear.

For more information, see the Base Reference Point command description.

ROTATED FIELDS

*SATO*
*SATO*

SATO

print on a 2" wide label.

*SATO*
*SATO*

SATO

2" Label

4.1"

The printers can rotate each print field in 90° increments using the Rotate command.
There are two variations of this command.

• <ESC>% - The field rotates, but the base reference point for the field

remains the same.

• <ESC>R - The field and the base reference point rotate.

The following data stream will rotate the print field but will not change the base
reference point of the field:

<ESC>A<ESC>%1<ESC>V800<ESC>H200<ESC>L0202<ESC>WB1E<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

The following data stream will rotate both the field and the base reference point for
that field:

<ESC>A<ESC>R<ESC>V0200<ESC>H0100<ESC>L0202<ESC>P02<ESC>WB1E<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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CX200 Programming Guide

Base

Ref

Point

V=800

H=200

E

“%1”

COMMAND DEFAULT SETTINGS

There are some types of commands that must have a value specified before a label
can be printed. If the data stream does not contain these commands, a “default” value
is assumed. The commands and the corresponding default values are:

Base

Ref

Point

Label
Feed

Direction

New

Base

Ref

Point

V=200

E

H=100

“R”

COMMAND DEFAULT NOTE

Print Rotation 0° (1)
Vertical Reference Point 0 (1)
Horizontal Reference Point 0 (1)
Character Pitch 2 (1)
Base Reference Point H=0, V=0 (2)
Character Expansion 1 (1)
Print Darkness 3 (1)
Print Speed 3 ips (2)

NOTES:

(1) The settings for these commands will revert to the default value when the printer

receives an <ESC>Z or an <ESC>*.

(2) These values transmitted with these commands will remain in effect until a new

command is received.

PRINTER CONFIGURATION

The CX200 oprinters are different from other SATO models in that they do not use
DIP switches for printer configuration. Instead, all printer configuration is done via
software commands. The parameters that can be configured are:

• Sensor Calibration

• Protocol Codes

Page 8PN9001055 Rev. ESATOCX200Printers

Because there are no DIP switches to indicate the current printer settings, a Test
Label can be printed that lists the active settings in the printer. This Test Label lists all
of the information a user needs to ascertain the printer configurtation. Test Labels
can be printed out by sending a command via software (see Page 93) or by using the
FEED and On-Line/Off-Line Indicator buttons on the control panel (see Page 7 of the
CX200 User’s Guide).

LABEL SENSING

The CX200 printers can use eye-mark (black bar), gap or notch label sensing. The gap
and notch sensor is a transmissive or see-thru type with an infrared light source
directed through the label/ribbon combination from above and detected by a separate
sensor underneath the label. A reflective sensor is used to detect eye-marks printed
on the bottom of the label liner or tag. The eye-mark must not reflect more than 12%
of the light. Since the same receiving sensor is used for all three types of sensing, it
must be calibrated with the media that will be used. The ribbon must be installed
while the calibration is being performed.

CX200 Programming Guide

• Print Darkness Range

• Sensor Type

• RS232 Parameters

• Label Tear-Off Position

• Backfeed Enable/Disable

Print Head

0.65"

(16.5mm)

0.75"

(19mm)

See

Note 1

Fixed Position

Sensor

Eye-Mark on

underneath side

of label

Min. Length = 1"

(25.4mm)

Gap, Notch or Bar Width

Min: 0.125" (3.2mm)

Max: 1.0" (25mm)

Min Label Pitch

0.375" (9.5mm)

Left Label Edge

Note 1: The the trailing-edge of the black eye-mark can be positioned anywhere
within the 0 to +98mm range of sensor offset adjustment and the first print line
(V=000) can be adjusted to the desired position using the <ESC>CB Label
Tear-Off command. If the pitch offset is 11mm (the factory setting), placing the
eye-mark trailing edge at 8mm will place the first print position at the top edge
of the label.

Label Feed Direction

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CX200 Programming Guide

When calibrating the printer sensors, the gap or eye-mark sensor type must be
selected first using the <ESC>CI command (see page 94) and then the Direct
Thermal or Thermal Transfer print mode must be specified with an <ESC>CP
command (see page 92). These two commands are followed by an <ESC>CA
calibrate command (see page 86) to instruct the printer to preform the calibration
procedure. The resulting calibration values are stored in the printer and used until
the unit is recalibrated. A separate value is stored for direct thermal and thermal
transfer modes because the settings will differ significantly because of the inclusion of
the ribbon for thermal transfer. For example, the following command stream will
calibrate the printer in the thermal transfer mode for gap sensing:

<ESC>A<ESC>CP1<ESC>CI2<ESC>CA<ESC>Z

COMMAND CODE PAGE REFERENCE

This section contains all the printer Command Codes. The commands must be sent to
the printer in an organized fashion in order for the label(s) to print.

The purpose of this section is to:

1. Explain the different commands and provide examples of their usage.

2. To provide a detailed reference for programming.

Each command begins on a separate page with its own heading. A uniform layout is
used to help you find key information about each command. For each Command
Code in this section, there will be a sample data input stream to the printer and the
expected print output. By studying the examples, you can learn how to use the
particular command within a whole block of printer code. Pay particular attention to
the “Special Notes” with each command to learn other important information.

The subject commands are highlighted in bold letters in the Reference Sheets. There
are two parts of most, but not all, commands. The first is the command character
which immediately follows the <ESC> code. It is always an upper case alpha or a
special character (such as an “&” or a “%”). It is never a lower case alpha character. If
the command requires additional variable information, it is represented by a group of
lower case alpha characters immediately following the command character. For
example, if an aaaabb is listed following the basic command, the printer will look
for six characters immediately following the command. The first four would represent
the value of aaaa and the next two the value of bb.

The maximum number of characters defined in a parameter is represented by the
number of characters shown in the command structure. For example, a command
followed by an aaaa can have up to four characters. In general, commands with only
one parameter following the command can be entered without the leading zeroes. In
the above example, you could enter either “809” or “0809”. However, certain
commands require the exact number of matching characters. A command with two
parameters listed following the command code, such as aaaabbbb require the exact
number of digits to be entered. If the value of aaaa is “800” and the value of bbbb
is “300”, then the parameters must be entered as “08000300”. It is recommended
that you make it a practice to always enter leading zeros to prevent any mistakes.

Page 10PN9001055 Rev. ESATOCX200Printers

Bar Codes

Command Structure 1:3 narrow/wide bar ratio: <ESC>Babbcccd

2:5 narrow/wide ratio: <ESC>BDabbcccd
1:2 narrow/wide bar ratio: <ESC>Dabbcccd

a = Bar Code Symbol

0 Codabar
1 Code 39
2 Interleaved 2 of 5 (I 2/5)
3 UPC-A / EAN-13
4 EAN-8
A MSI
C Code 93
E UPC-E
F Bookland
G Code 128
I UCC 128

CX200 Programming Guide

bb = Number of dots (01-12) for narrow bar and narrow space
ccc = Bar height in dots (001-600)
d = UCC 128 only. Not used for other bar code types

0 No human readable text
1 Human readable at top

2 Human readable at bottom
Example: <ESC>BD103200
Placement: Immediately preceding data to be encoded
Default: None

Command Function To print bar code images on a label. With this command, there are 13

standard bar code symbologies available to be printed and three two
dimensional symbols (see Two Dimensional bar code symbols
starting on Page 80).

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CX200 Programming Guide

Input to Printer

<ESC>A
<ESC>H0025<ESC>V0025<ESC>B103100*CODE39*
<ESC>H0155<ESC>V0130<ESC>XS*CODE39*
<ESC>H0025<ESC>V0200<ESC>BD20210045676567
<ESC>H0075<ESC>V0310<ESC>XM45676567
<ESC>H0025<ESC>V0375<ESC>BD30215001234567890
<ESC>H0025<ESC>V0950<ESC>BA03100123455
<ESC>H0095<ESC>V1060<ESC>XS12345
<ESC>H0025<ESC>V1125<ESC>BC03100081234ABCD
<ESC>H0080<ESC>V1240<ESC>XS1234ABCD
<ESC>H0525<ESC>V0025<ESC>B002100A12345B
<ESC>H0565<ESC>V0135<ESC>XS12345
<ESC>H0475<ESC>V0200<ESC>BD303100123456789012
<ESC>H0525<ESC>V0375<ESC>BD4031001234567
<ESC>H0525<ESC>V0550<ESC>DE03100123456
<ESC>H0500<ESC>V0600<ESC>OB0
<ESC>H0533<ESC>V0655<ESC>OB123456
<ESC>H0350<ESC>V0725<ESC>D30315009827721123
<ESC>L0101<ESC>H0320<ESC>V0800<ESC>OB0
<ESC>H0365<ESC>V0878<ESC>OB98277
<ESC>H0505<ESC>V0878<ESC>OB21123
<ESC>H0665<ESC>V0760<ESC>BF0313021826
<ESC>H0680<ESC>V0730<ESC>OB21826
<ESC>H0425<ESC>V1125<ESC>D30315000633895260
<ESC>L0101<ESC>H0395<ESC>V1200<ESC>OB0
<ESC>H0440<ESC>V1278<ESC>OB06338
<ESC>H0580<ESC>V1278<ESC>OB95260
<ESC>H0730<ESC>V1155<ESC>BF0314024
<ESC>H0745<ESC>V1125<ESC>OB24
<ESC>H0325<ESC>V0950<ESC>BG03100>GAB>B789>C123456
<ESC>H0435<ESC>V1055<ESC>XSAB789123456
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Note: Carriage Returns and Line Feeds have been added to the command listing
for clarity and should not be included in the actual data stream.

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Printer Output

CX200 Programming Guide

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CX200 Programming Guide

UCC-128 Without Incrementing

<ESC>A
<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0100<ESC>BI07150101234567000000001
<ESC>Q2<ESC>Z

With Incrementing

<ESC>A
<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0100<ESC>F001+001<ESC>BI07150101234567000000001
<ESC>Q2<ESC>Z

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CX200 Programming Guide

Special Notes 1. UPC and EAN bar codes are not affected by the different types of

narrow to wide ratios. Instead, the <ESC>D command adds
descender bars to these codes where needed to meet UPC
specifications. The <ESC>BD command puts decender bars and
human readable text below the symbol.

2. The Code 128, UCC 128, MSI, and Code 93 bar codes are not

affected by the narrow to wide ratios.

3. The Codabar and Code 39 bar codes are affected by the Character

Pitch command. This command must be placed before the Bar
Code command.

4. See Appendix B for more specific instructions and detailed

information regarding individual bar code symbols.

5. Because of their unique characteristics, two-dimensional symbols

are covered separately (see Page 80).

6. For UCC128, the FNC1 code is automatically inserted and the Mod

10 and Mod 103 check digits are automatically calculated.

7. For the MSI bar code, the check digit is not automatically calculated.

8. To select UPC-A, 11 digits of data is sent. The printer adds a “0”

and automatically generates the check digit. If 12 digits of data
are sent, the printer asumes an EAN-13 symbol and automatically
generates the check digit. The last digit of the bar code data is a
modulo 10 check digit. If 13 digits of data are sent to the printer,
the check digit is not created and must be supplied by the
programmer. It must be the last character of the 13 digit string.

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CX200 Programming Guide

Bar Codes, Expansion

Command Structure <ESC>BWaabbb

aa = Expansion factor by which the width of all bars and spaces

will be increased (01-12)
bbb = Bar height by dot (004-600 dots)
Example: <ESC>BW02100
Placement: Immediately follows the <ESC>BT command and

precedes data to be encoded.

Default: None

Command Function This command works together with the <ESC>BT command to

specify an expansion factor and the bar code height for the particular
symbol being printed.

Input to Printer:

Printer Output:

<ESC>A
<ESC>H0050<ESC>V0050<ESC>BT101030103
<ESC>BW04100*1234*
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Special Notes 1. This command must be preceded by the Variable Ratio Bar Codes

<ESC>BT command (see Page 17).

2. The following bar codes will be affected by the Character Pitch

command: Codabar, Code 39 and Interleaved 2 of 5.

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Bar Codes, Variable Ratio

Command Structure <ESC>BTabbccddee

a = Bar Code Symbol:

0 Codabar
1 Code 39
2 Interleaved 2 of 5

bb = Narrow space in dots (01-99)
cc = Wide space in dots (01-99)
dd = Narrow bar in dots (01-99)
ee = Wide bar in dots (01-99)

Example: <ESC>BT101030103

CX200 Programming Guide

Placement: Following print position commands and preceding

the <ESC>BW command.

Default: Current setting

Command Function To print a bar code with a ratio other than those specified through the

standard bar code commands (B,BD, and D). This is done through
individual control of each of the bar code elements (bars, spaces) as
shown above. Remember that this command only applies to the three
bar code types shown.

Input to Printer:

Printer Output:

<ESC>A
<ESC>H0050<ESC>V0050<ESC>BT101030103
<ESC>BW03100*1234*
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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CX200 Programming Guide

Special Notes 1. This command must be immediately followed by the <ESC>BW Bar

Code Expansion command (see Page 16).

2. You may use only one variable ratio bar code per label.

3. If the data specified in this command is incorrect, the command is

ignored and the ratio used will be based on the previous setting.

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Base Reference Point

Command Structure <ESC>A3H-aaaaVbbbb

- = This character is optional. When present, it specifies that
the horizontal offset is in the negative direction. If it is left out
the offset direction is positive.

aaaa = Horizontal Print Offset (-0832 to +0832)
bbbb = Vertical Print Offset (0001 to 1424)
Example: <ESC>A3H100V0050
Placement: Preceding all images that are based on the new base

reference point

CX200 Programming Guide

Default: Current V and H offset setting in the printer configuration

Command Function To establish a new base reference point for the current label. The

base reference point is the top left corner or “origin” from where all
print position commands are based.

This command may be very helpful when using labels less than four
inches wide to place images on the printable label surface. It may
also be used to move images past preprinted fields on a label.

Input to Printer:

Printer Output:

<ESC>A<ESC>L0202
<ESC>H0025<ESC>V0025<ESC>WB0MNORMALREFERENCE POINT
<ESC>A3H0300V0075
<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0050<ESC>WB0MNEWREFERENCE POINT
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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CX200 Programming Guide

Special Notes 1. Use of this command will set the Vertical/Horizontal Offset setting of

the printer configuration until a new Base Reference Point
command is issued.

2. This command may be used more than once in a print job.

3. An alternative to using this command is to make changes to your
current Horizontal and Vertical Print Position commands (see
Page 53).

Example:
Let’s say the current base reference point is H=1, V=1 and you
wish to move all the fields on your label downward vertically by
150 dots. You could either (1) add the Base Reference Point
command or (2) change all the vertical position commands by an
additional 150 dots.

4. For a more detailed example of the Base Reference Point
command, see “Print Area” in this section (Page 4).

5. The CX200 printers will not “wrap” (i.e. if any part of a character or
image extends beyond the last print dot position, it will disappear
and not be visible on any part of the label).

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Characters, Custom-Designed

Command Structure Store Command: <ESC>Tabcc

Recall Command: <ESC>Kab90cc
a = 1 16x16 matrix

2 24x24 matrix

b = Specifies the character encoding method for the data stream

H Hexadecimal characters
B Binary characters

cc = Memory location to store/recall the character. Valid memory

locations are 21 to 52 (counting in Hex) or “!” to “R” in Binary

(data) = Data to describe the character

CX200 Programming Guide

Example: <ESC>T1H3F

<ESC>K1H903F
See Appendix C for a more detailed explanation

Placement: The Store command is typically sent in its own data

stream to the printer, between the Start/Stop commands.
The Recall command is sent in a secondary data stream
to print the character,and follows any necessary position
or size commands.

Default: None

Command Function To allow for the creation, storage, and printing of custom characters,

such as special fonts or logos. Up to 50 individual characters may be
stored in the custom character volatile memory.

Printer Input See Appendix C for a detailed explanation.

<ESC>A
<ESC>T1H3F
0100038007C00FE01FF03FF87FFCFFFE07C007C007C007C007C007C007C007C0
<ESC>Z

<ESC>A
<ESC>H150<ESC>V100<ESC>L0505<ESC>K1H903F
<ESC>H350<ESC>V100<ESC>L1010<E SC>K1H903F
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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CX200 Programming Guide

Printer Output

Special Notes 1. When printing the custom character using the <ESC>K Recall

command, the character is affected by the following commands:

Character Expansion (see Page 23)
Character Pitch (see Page 26)
Line Feed (see Page 47
Rotate, Fixed Base Reference Point (see Page 62)
Rotate, Moving Base Reference Point (see Page 64)

2. The characters are stored in volatile memory and must be reloaded
if the printer power is lost.

3. Do not use ASCII <CR> or <LF> characters (carriage return or line
feed) as line delimiters within the graphic data or the actual image
will not be printed as specified.

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CX200 Programming Guide

Character Expansion

Command Structure <ESC>Laabb

aa = Multiple to expand horizontally (01-12)
bb = Multiple to expand vertically (01-12)

Example: <ESC>L0304
Placement: Preceding the data to be expanded
Default: <ESC>L0101

Command Function To expand characters independently in both the horizontal and

vertical directions. The command allows you to enlarge the base size
of each font (except the vector font) up to 12 times in either direction.
Expanded characters are typically used for added emphasis or for
long distance readability.

Input to Printer

Printer Output

<ESC>A<ESC>A<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0100<ESC>XMSATO
<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0200<ESC>L0402<ESC>XMSATO
<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0300<ESC>L0204<ESC>XMSATO
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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CX200 Programming Guide

Special Notes This command will expand the following fonts:

1. Fonts U, S, M, XU, XS, XM, OA & OB (see Page 34) and fonts WB,
WL, XB and XL (see Page 36).

2. This command will also affect the following commands:

Character Pitch (see Page 26)
Characters, Custom-Designed (see Page 21)

3. The Character Expansion value is in effect for the current print job
until a new expansion command is specified.

4. The Line and Box command, if used within the data stream, may
return all subsequent text to the default expansion of 1 x 1.
Therefore, either send the Character Expansion command before
all printed data, or send Line and Box commands last, preceding
the <ESC>Q Quantity command.

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CX200 Programming Guide

Character, Fixed Spacing

Command Structure <ESC>PR

Example: See Above
Placement: Preceding the data
Default: The default is Proportional Spacing.

Command Function To reset proportional spacing and place the printer back to fixed

spacing.

Printer Input

Printer Output

Special Notes 1. This command only works with the proportionally spaced fonts XU,

<ESC>A
<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0050<ESC>PS
<ESC>L0404<ESC>XMPROPORTIONALSPACING
<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0180<ESC>PR
<ESC>L0404<ESC>XMFIXED SPACING
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

XM, XS, XL and XB.

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CX200 Programming Guide

Character Pitch

Command Structure <ESC>Paa

aa = Number of dots between characters (00-99)
Example: <ESC>P03
Placement: Preceding the text to be printed
Default: <ESC>P02

Command Function To designate the amount of spacing (in dots) between characters.

This command provides a means of altering character spacing for
label constraints or to enhance readability.

Input to Printer:

Printer Output:

<ESC>A
<ESC>A<ESC>H0025<ESC>V0025<ESC>L0202<ESC>XB1SATO
<ESC>H0025<ESC>V0125<ESC>L0202<ESC>P20<ESC>XB1SATO
<ESC>H0025<ESC>V0225<ESC>L0202<ESC>P40<ESC>XB1SATO
<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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