SATO XL400,XL410 Operator And Technical Reference Manual

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XL Series

Thermal Transfer Tag Printers

Operator and Technical

Reference Manual for

XL400 and XL410

PN9001038Rev.D

SATO America, Inc.

10350-A Nations Ford Rd.

Charlotte, NC 28273

MainPhone:(704) 644-1650

Technical SupportHotline:(704) 644-1660

Fax:(704) 644-1661

SATO America, Inc.

Warning: This equipment complies with the requirements in Part 15 of FCC rules for a Class A computing device. Operation of this equipment in a residential area may cause unacceptable interference to radio and TV reception requiring the operator to take whatever steps are necessary to correct the interference.

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 materials in this document is provided for general information and is subject to change without notice. SATO America, Inc. assumes no responibilities for any errors that may appear.

SATOXLSeriesPrinters9001038Rev.D

PREFACE

XL SERIES PRINTER OPERATOR’S MANUAL

The XL Series Printer Operator’s Manual contains basic information about the printer such as setup, installation, cleaning and maintenance. It also contains complete instructions on how to use the operator panel to configure the printer. The following is a brief description of each section in this manual.

SECTION 1. PRINTER OVERVIEW

This section contains a discussion of the printer specifications and optional features.

SECTION 2. INSTALLATION

This section contains instructions on how to unpack and set up the printer.

SECTION 3. CONFIGURATION

This section contains information on loading the labels and ribbon and how to use the operator panel to configure the printer.

SECTION 4. CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

This section contains instructions on how to clean and maintain the printer.

SECTION 5. PROGRAMMING

This section introduces the SATO printer programming language. It contains the commands that are used with the printer to produce labels with bar codes, alphanumeric data and graphics.

SECTION 6. INTERFACE SPECIFICATIONS

This section contains the printer’s interface specifications, which include detailed information on how to properly interface your printer to the host system.

SECTION 7. TROUBLESHOOTING

This section contains troubleshooting procedures to follow in the event you have printer problems.

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Preface

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Command Code Quick Reference

APPENDIX B: Bar Code Specifications

APPENDIX C: Custom Characters and Graphics

APPENDIX D: Optional Features

APPENDIX E: Custom Protocol Command Codes

Appendix F: Care Symbol Fonts

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION 1. PRINTER OVERVIEW

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

General Printer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Character Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Bar Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

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

Optional Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

SECTION 2. INSTALLATION

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

Unpacking and Parts Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2

Setting Up the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3

Printer Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Operator Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

Loading Tags and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Loading Ribbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15

Cut Sensor Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18

Powering On/Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21

Preface

SECTION 3. CONFIGURATION

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

Printer DIP Switch Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

Printer Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

Normal Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

User Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8

Service Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11

User Test Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17

Service Test Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-18

Potentiometer Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19

SECTION 4. CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

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

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

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Preface

Adjusting the Print Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

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

Print Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Cleaning the Print Head, Platen, Rollers and Sensors . . . . . . . 4-3

SECTION 5. PROGRAMMING

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

The SATO XL Programming Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Selecting Protocol Control Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Using Basic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

The Print Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Rotated Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Command Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

Command Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10

Bar Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11

Bar Codes, Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13

Bar Codes, Variable Ratio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14

Batch Separator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16

Base Reference Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Characters, Custom Designed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19

Character Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21

Character Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-23

Clear Print Job(s) and Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-25

Copy Image Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26

Fonts OA, OB, XU, XS and XM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28

Font, Vector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30

Fonts, XB and XL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32

Fonts, XCS and XCL Care Symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-34

Form Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-35

Form Overlay Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-36

Form Overlay Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-37

Graphics, Custom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-38

Graphics, PCX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-40

Job ID Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-41

Lines and Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-42

Line Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-44

Media Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-46

Off-Line/Pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-47

Print & Cut Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-48

Print Darkness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-49

Print Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-50

Print Quantity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-52

Print Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-53

Repeat Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-54

Replace Data (Partial Edit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-55

Reverse Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-57

Rotate, Fixed Base Reference Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-59

Sequential Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-61

Start/Stop Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-63

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Preface

Tag Feed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-64

Calendar Option Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-65

Calendar Increment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-66

Calendar Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-68

Calendar Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-70

Memory Card Option Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-71

Clear Card Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-72

Expand Memory Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-73

Fonts, TrueType Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-75

Fonts, TrueType Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-76

Format/Field Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-77

Format/Field Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-78

Graphics, Custom Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-79

Graphics, Custom Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-80

Graphics, PCX Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-82

Graphics, PCX Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-83

Initialize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-84

Slot Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-85

Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-86

Custom Protocol Codes Download . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-87

Two-Dimensional Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-89

Data Matrix, Data Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-90

Data Matrix, Data Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-92

Data Matrix Sequential Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-93

Maxicode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-95

PDF417 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-97

SECTION 6. INTERFACE SPECIFICATIONS

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

Interface Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

The Receive Buffer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

RS232C Serial Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

General Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Electrical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Ready/Busy Flow Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

X-On/X-Off Flow Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Bi-Directional Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Centronics Parallel Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Electrical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Accessory (EXT) Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

Pin Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10

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Preface

SECTION 6. TROUBLESHOOTING

Initial Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

Using the Centronics (Parallel) Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

Using the RS232C (Serial) Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3

Error Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: Command Code Quick Reference

APPENDIX B: Bar Code Specifications

Bar Code Symbologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

Codabar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2

Code 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3

Interleaved Two of Five (I 2/5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4

UPC-A/EAN-13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-5

EAN-8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8

Code 128 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7

UPC-E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9

Bookland (UPC/EAN Supplements) . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

UCC-128 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

Data Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13

Maxicode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-15

PDF417 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-16

Code 128 Character Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-17

APPENDIX C: Custom Characters and Graphics

Custom Designed Characters Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

Custom Graphics Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4

PCX Graphics Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-8

APPENDIX D: Optional Accessories

Label Rewinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1

PCMCIA Memory Cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-2

Stacker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6

APPENDIX E: Custom Protocol Command Codes

Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1

Download Command Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1

Download Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-2

Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-2

Appendix F: Care Symbol Fonts

XCS Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1

XCM Font . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-2

Page-vi9001038Rev.DSATOXLSeriesPrinters

INTRODUCTION

The SATO XL400 and XL410 Thermal Transfer Printers are complete, high-performance labeling systems designed specifically for printing tags and labels. All printer parameters are programmable using the front panel controls and DIP switches. All popular bar codes, including 2-D codes, eight human-readable fonts with two Care Symbol fonts and a fast and efficient vector font, are resident in memory, providing literally thousands of type styles and sizes.

The Operator’s Manual will help you understand the basic operations of the printer, such as setup, installation, configuration, cleaning and maintenance.

The major difference in the XL400 and the XL410 is the resolution of the head. The XL400 with its 203 dpi head provides an economical labeling solution for most applications. The XL410 provides a higher print resolution, 305 dpi, to give laser-quality printing. It is useful when high-resolution printing is required, such as when printing detailed graphic images. Both printers can print labels up to 4.0 inches wide and 9.4 inches long using internal memory. If longer labels are required, a PCMCIA memory card option is available, allowing 203 dpi labels up to 49.2 inches (32.8 inches for 305 dpi).

SECTION 1.

PRINTER OVERVIEW

All of the XL printers use the same command codes. The only differences are the allowable values representing print positions on the label. These values are specified in “dots” and will vary depending upon the resolution of the printer and the amount of memory available for imaging the label. The allowable range for each printer is specified in a table for those commands.

The standard configuration for the XL printers includes an integrated Cutter which can operate at the maximum print speed. A Stacker is available as an option and can stack up to 500 labels up to 3.9 inches wide and 5.9 inches long at maximum print speeds.

The following general information is presented in this section:

• General Printer Specifications

• Optional Accessories

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 1-1

Section 1. Printer Overview

GENERAL PRINTER SPECIFICATIONS

SPECIFICATION XL400 XL410

Method Direct or Thermal Transfer Speed (User Selectable) 5 to 8 ips

125 to 200 mm/s

Print Module (Dot Size) .0049 in.

.125 mm

Resolution 203 dpi

8 dpmm

Maximum Print Width 3.94 in.

100 mm

Maximum Print Length 9.45 in.

240 mm

Maximum Print Length with 2MB Memory Card

MEDIA

Minimum Width 1.26 in. (32 mm) Minimum Length .75 in. (19 mm) Labels

Maximum Width 4.0 in. (102 mm) Type Die Cut Labels, Fan-Fold, Tag Stock or Continuous

49.2 in.

1249 mm

1.0 in. (25 mm) Tags

4 to 6 ips

100 to 150 mm/s

.0033 in. .083 mm

305 dpi

12 dpmm

32.8 in.

833 mm

Caliper (max) .012 in. (.3 mm) Roll OD (max) 9.8 in. (249 mm) Core ID (min) 4.0 in. (102 mm)

SENSING

See-Thru

Label Gap/Center Hole Tag Side Hole Tag Side Notch (R-Corner Tag)

Reflective Eye-Mark

Eye-Mark Label or Tag

RIBBON

Maximum Width 4.0 in. (102 mm) Length 1475 ft. (450 M) Wind Ink-In Thickness 4.5 micron

0.4 in. (16mm0 to 2.0 in. (50mm)

1.3 in. (34mm) to 3.7 in. (94mm)

Adjustable

0.1 in. (2.5mm) Fixed

0.28 in. (7 mm)

Page 1- 29001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 1. Printer Overview

GENERAL PRINTER SPECIFICATIONS (cont’d)

SPECIFICATION XL400 XL410

CONTROLS AND SIGNALS

On-Line LED Green Cutter Green Error LED Red LCD Panel 2 Line x 16 Character Start/Stop Switch Rear Feed Switch Front Panel Cutter Front Panel Eject Front Panel Media Front Panel Configuration 3 x 8 DIP, Inside Cover Power On/Off Switch Rear Panel

POTENTIOMETER ADJUSTMENTS

Print Darkness Inside Cover Pitch Inside Cover Offset Inside Cover Display Inside Cover

INTERFACE CONNECTIONS

Parallel (AMP 36 pin) Centronics Compatible Serial (DB25S) RS232C (2400 to 19.2K bps) Serial Protocol Hardware Flow Control (Ready/Busy)

Software Flow Control (X-On/X-Off)

Bi-directional (ENQ/Response)

Data Transmission ASCII Format

PROCESSING

CPU 32 Bit RISC ROM 1 MByte DRAM 2 MByte

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Section 1. Printer Overview

CHARACTER FONTS

SPECIFICATION XL400 XL410

MATRIX FONTS

XU Font (5 dots W x 9 dots H) Helvetica XS Font (17 dots W x 17 dots H) Univers Condensed Bold XM Font (24 dots W x 24 dots H) Univers Condensed Bold OA Font (15 dots W x 22 dots H)

OCR-A

OB Font 20 dots W x 24 dots H)

OCR-B XCS (24 dot W x 24 dot H) Care Symbol XCL (36 dots W x 36 dots H) Care symbol

AUTO SMOOTHING FONTS

XB XB Font (48 dots W x 48 dots H) Univers

Condensed Bold

XL XL Font (48 dot W x 48 dots H) Sans Serif

VECTOR FONT

Proportional or Fixed Spacing

Font Size 50 x 50 dots to 999 x 999 dots

10 Font Variations

DOWNLOADABLE FONTS

TrueType Fonts with Optional Memory Card

CHARACTER CONTROL

Expansion up to 12X in either the X or Y

coordinates

Character Pitch control

Line Space control

Journal Print facility

0°, 90°, 180° and 270° Rotation

(22 dots W x 33 dots H)

OCR A

(30 dots W x 36 dots H)

OCR B

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Section 1. Printer Overview

Bar Codes

SPECIFICATION XL400 XL410

SYMBOLOGIES

Bookland (UPC/EAN Supplemental)

EAN-8, EAN-13

CODABAR

Code 39

Code 128

Interleaved 2 of 5

UCC/EAN-128

UPC-A and UPC-E

Data Matrix

Maxicode

PDF417 Ratios 1:2, 1:3, 2:5 User definable bar widths Bar Height 4 to 600 dots, User programmable Rotation 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°

OTHER FEATURES

Sequential Numbering Sequential numbering of both numerics and bar codes Custom Characters RAM storage for special characters Graphics Full dot addressable graphics, SATO Hex/Binary or PCX

formats

Form Overlay Form overlay for high-speed editing of complex formats

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Section 1. Printer Overview

PHYSICAL

SPECIFICATION XL400 XL410

DIMENSIONS

Wide 19.6 in. (302 mm) Deep 11.8 in. (552 mm)

High 11.5 in. (294 mm) WEIGHT 30.8 lbs (14 Kg) POWER REQUIREMENTS

Voltage

Power Consumption 300 Watts Operating ENVIRONMENTAL

Operating Temperature 41° to 104°F (5° to 40°C

Storage Temperature -0° to 104°F (-20° to 40°C)

Operating Humidity 15-85 % RH, non-condensing

Storage Humidity Max 90% RH, non-condensing

Electrostatic Discharge 8KV

REGULATORY APPROVALS

Safety UL, CSA, CE

RFI/EMI FCC Class A

100 - 115 V (±10 %)

220V (±10 %)

50/60 Hz (±1%)

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Section 1. Printer Overview

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

ACCESSORY XL400 XL412

MEMORY EXPANSION Two slots for PCMCIA Memory Cards (up to 2MB each). Can be used

for graphic file storage, print buffer expansion and downloaded TrueType fonts.

CALENDAR An internally mounted Date/Time clock that can be used to date/time

stamp labels at the time of printing.

INTEGRATED STACKER Allows cut labels to be stacked. Interfaces to EXT Accessory Port

connector.

LABEL REWINDER External option rewinds labels onto a roll after they are printed.

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Section 1. Printer Overview

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Page 1- 89001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

INTRODUCTION

This section is provided to assist you in taking the XL printer from the shipping container and familiarization with the controls.

The following information is provided in this section:

SECTION 2.

INSTALLATION

• Unpacking and Parts Identification

• Setting Up the Printer

• Loading Labels or Tags

• Loading the Ribbon

• Adjusting the Sensors

• Powering On/Off

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-1

Section 2. Installation

UNPACKING AND PARTS IDENTIFICATION

Consider the following when unpacking the printer:

• The box should stay right-side up.

• Lift the printer out of the box carefully.

• Remove the plastic covering from the printer.

• Remove the accessory items from their protective containers.

• If the printer has been stored in a cold environment, allow it to reach room

temperature before powering it on.

• Set the printer on a solid, flat surface. Inspect the shipping container and

printer for any sign of damage that may have occured during shipping.

Note: The following illustrations are representative only. Your printer may not be packed exactly as shown, but the unpacking steps are similar.

Plastic Protective

Accessory Box

Cardboard Cover

Top Foam Inserts

XL Printer

Bottom Foam Inserts

Shipping Container

Page 2-29001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Verify that you have the following materials when unpackaging:

• Printer

• Power Cord

• Extra Ribbon Core

• Operator’s Manual

SETTING UP THE PRINTER

Consider the following when setting up the printer:

• Locate a solid, flat surface with adequate room to set the printer. If a

Cutter/Stacker is to be used with the printer, make sure thaere is adequate room for the unit. The printer cover swings upward and back, make sure there is enough clearance for the cover to swing open.

• The location should be near the host computer or terminal. The maximum

distance for RS232 cables is 50 feet and six feet for Centronics parallel cables. Cables can be purchased locally and their configuration will depend upon the host system.

Section 2. Installation

• For information on interfacing the printer to a host system, see Section 6:

Interface Specifications.

The procedures for setting up the printer and adjusting the sensors are outlined in Section 2. The procedures for setting ut the operating parameters (Print Speed, Pitch Offset, etc.)are outlined in Section 3.

• Load the ribbon (see page 2-15).

• Load the Media (see page 2-12).

• Setup the printer for the media type (see page 2-8). You must use the LCD

panel to select the proper media type (see page 2-14). The selections are:

Center Hole Tag I-Mark Tag Side Hole Tag R-Corner Tag Label Gap I-Mark Label

• Adjust the Cutter Sensor (see page 2-18). Note: The Cutter Sensor must be

set up even if the Cutter is disabled.

• Adjust the Cutter Offset to corectly locate the cut position. This can

generally be done with the Cut Position potentiometer on the Control Panel (see page 3-20) which has a +/- 3.75mm range. If this is insufficient, the Cut Offset can be moved +/- 99 dots using the LCD panel (see page 3-15).

• Set the Pitch, Cut and Backfeed Offset using the LCD panel (see page 3-14).

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-3

Section 2. Installation

PRINTER COMPONENTS

Before attempting to set up the printer, please familiarize yourself with the major components.

Cover

Print Head

Ribbon Rewind

Cutter

Ribbon Unwind

Media Supply Spindle

Media Retaining Plate

Head Lock Lever

Operator Panel

Page 2-49001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

DIP Switch and

Potentiometer Cover

Section 2. Installation

Fuse

Media Hold-Down

Power Switch

Power SwitchAC Connector

INTERFACE

CONNECTORS

Centronics Parallel

Serial RS232

EXT Accessory

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-5

Section 2. Installation

Cutter On/Off LED

OPERATOR PANEL

The XL Operator Panel consists of three LED indicators and five key switches. They are used to set the printer operating parameters and to indicate the status of the printer to the operator.

SATO XL PRINTER

LCD Display

On Line LED

Start/Stop

Error LED

Feed

Cutter

On/Off

Eject

Media

Type

On Line: LED. Illuminated when the printer is ready to receive

data.

Cutter On/Off: LED. Illuminated when the Cutter is enabled. Error: LED. Illuminated when there is a system fault such as

an open print head.

LCD Display: 2 Line x 16 Character LCD display. Used for setting

operational parameters of the printer.

Start/Stop: Toggles the printer On and Off Line. Feed: Momentary Switch. Feed one tag or label each time it

is pressed. Effective only when printer is Off Line.

Cutter On/Off: Momentary Switch. Enables or disables the cutter.

Effective only when printer is Off Line.

Eject: Momentary Switch. When pressed, feeds out any

printed labels. If the cutter is enabled, it feeds and cuts the label or tag.

Media Type: Momentary Switch. Steps through the media types.

Page 2-69001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 2. Installation

Operator Panel

Push in for Tilt

position

The Operator Panel has two positions; one is flush with the printer (vertical) and the other is tilted backward. The position should be set for the best viewing by the operator.

Release for Vertical

position

Operator Panel

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-7

Section 2. Installation

MEDIA

Tag Types

Tag Cut Line

Center-Hole Tag without Notch

(set printer for Center Hole)

Side Notch

Center-Hole Tag with Side Notch

(set printer for Center Hole)

Outside Edge

Side-Hole Tag without Notch

(set printer for Side Hole)

Page 2-89001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Outside Edge

Side-Hole Tag with Side Notch

(set printer for Side Hole)

X: = 3.75 mm minimum Y: = 2 mm minimum, 3 mm maximum Z: = Center of Notch Width = 2.5mm

R-Corner Specifications

(set printer for R-Corner Tag)

Section 2. Installation

I-Mark

Label Gap

I-Mark Specifications

(set printer for I-Mark Tag or Label)

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-9

Section 2. Installation

Label Gap

Label Gap Specifications

(set printer for Label Gap)

Media Specifications

MEDIA TYPE MINIMUM SIZE MAXIMUM SIZE

Center Hole Tag 32mm W x 25 mm L 100mm W x 240mm L

I-Mark Tag 32mm W x 25mm L 100mm W x 240mm L

Side Hole Tag 50mm W x 25mm L 100mm W x 240mm L

R-Corner Tag 32mm W x 25mm L 100mm W x 240mm L

Label with Gap 25mm W x 16mm L 100mm W x 237mm L

I-Mark Label 32mm W x 25mm L 100mm W x 237mm L

Page 2-109001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

I-Mark Sensor

7mm

Section 2. Installation

INSIDE MEDIA GUIDE

R-Corner Sensor

2.5mm

16mm

Center Hole &

Gap Sensor

Range

50mm

Sensor

(not used)

Feed Direction

Sensor Positions Relative to Inside Media Guide

34mm

Side Hole Tag Sensor Range

94mm

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-11

Section 2. Installation

LOADING TAGS AND LABELS

Open the Cover and power the printer on.

Turn power on and open the cover.

Cover

Remove the Media Retaining Plate and place the media roll on the Media Supply Spindle. Replace the Media Retaining Plate to secure the roll in place.

Remove the Media Retaining Plate and load the tag roll.

Note: The media should come off the bottom of the roll (wound face-in). If media is used that is wound face-out, the label curl can cause problems with the stacking of the labels.

Tag Roll

Media Retaining Plate

Power Switch

Media Supply Spindle

Page 2-129001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 2. Installation

Open the print head by rotating the Head Release Lever to the rear of the printer. Open the Media Hold Down by lifting up on the release tab underneath the green tab marked “PUSH.”

Media Hold Down

Head Lock Lever

Load the tags from the rear until the leading edge of the first tag is underneath the print head. Loosen the Paper Guide Lock Screw and adjust the position of the Paper Guide until it holds the tag gently against the inside of the paper path (this also positions the sensor assembly). Retighten the Paper Guide Lock Screw. See page 2-11 for sensor locations.

Media Hold Down

Sensor Label

Head Lock Lever

Tag Setting

Position

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-13

Tag

Paper Guide

Paper Guide Lock Screw

Section 2. Installation

Close the Media Hold Down by pushing down on the green tab marked “PUSH.” It will

Close and latch the Media Hold Down and then close the Cover.

automatically latch in place. Close the print head by rotating the Head Lock Lever toward the front of the printer until it latches in place.

Cover

Media Hold Down

Power the printer On and press the Start/Stop key. The tags should be ejected if the Media Type setting is correct (the factory setting is Center-Hole Tag, however the printer retains the last setting entered via the LCD Panel). If the Media Type setting is incorrect, a “Sensor Error” will be displayed on the LCD. If this occurs, you must open the print head and Media Hold Down, reposition the media, close the print head and Media Hold Down and select the correct media type by pressing the Media Type key (see page 2-8) and press the Start/Stop key.

Ejected Tags

Start/Stop Key

Note: If you get a “Cutter Error,” you must

Refer to Ribbon Loading in this section if

correctly podsition the Cut Sensor. See

there is no ribbon in the printer.

page 2-19. This can occur even if the Cutter is disabled.

Page 2-149001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

LOADING RIBBON

Turn the power off and open the Cover.

Section 2. Installation

Cover

Power Switch

Open the print head by rotating the Head Lock Lever toward the rear of the printer. It will automatically retract to the open position.

Head Lock

Lever

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-15

Section 2. Installation

Place the ribbon on the Ribbon Unwind Shaft, making sure the ribbon unwind direction is as shown). Place an empty ribbon core one the Ribbon Rewind Shaft.

Ribbon Unwind Ribbon Rewind

Ribbon

Ribbon Core

Route the ribbon as shown and tape the end to the ribbon core on the Ribbon Rewind Shaft. Rotate the shaft in a clockwise direction until several layers of ribbon are wound on the core.

Tape

Ribbon

Page 2-169001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 2. Installation

Make sure the media is fed into the printer with the leading edge underneath the print head. Close and latch the print head in the down position by rotating the Head Latch.

Cover

Head Lock Lever

Power the printer On. Press the Start/Stop key to initiate the automatic media feed. If the Media Type setting is incorrect, a “Sensor Error” will be displayed on the LCD. If this occurs, you must open the print head and Media Hold Down, reposition the media, close the print head and Media Hold Down and select the correct media type by pressing the Media Type key (see page 2-8). Press the Start/Stop key.

Start/Stop Key

Note: If you get a “Cutter Error,” you must correctly position the Cut Sensor. See page 3-20. This can occur even if the Cutter is disabled.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-17

Section 2. Installation

CUT SENSOR ADJUSTMENT

These adjustments are for R-Corner Tag (Side-Notch), Center-Hole and Edge-Hole tags only.

Open the cover. The Cut Sensors are located on an adjustable assembly that must be correctly positioned for the type of media used. They must be adjusted correctly even though the Cutter is disabled. If they are not, a “Cutter Error” will result when you try to feed tags.

Cover

Loosen the green Sensor Adjustment Thumbscrew on the Cutter Sensor assembly. Align the notch on the Cutter Sensor Assembly to the position of the tag registration mark using the scale.

Sensor

Adjustment

Thumbscrew

Cutter

Sensor

Assembly

Page 2-189001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 2. Installation

The scale used depends upon the type of media selected (i.e. R-Corner, Center-Hole or Side-Hole) and the setting corresponds to the width of the media (i.e., if you are using center hole tags that are 80mm wide, the notch should be set at the 80mm mark of the black scale).

Notch

R-Corner: . . Inside scale, 32 to 42mm. Center-Hole: . Black scale

........ Other Tag, 47 to 100mm

Scale

........ R-Corner, 32 to 42mm

Side Hole: . . Blue scale, 50 to 100mm

See Tag Charts on pages 2-8 to 2-9 if you are unsure about tag type.

If you are using R-Corner Notch Tags, the tag notch must be on the inside edge of the tag and the position the Sensor Select Switch should be towards the outside of the printer. For all other tags, the Sensor Selector Switch should be towards the inside of the printer.

R-Corner Other Tag

See Tag Charts on pages 2-8 to 2-9 if you are unsure about tag type.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-19

Section 2. Installation

After adjusting the Cutter Sensor Assembly, tighten the Sensor Adjustment Thumbscrew and close the Cover.

Cover

Sensor Adjustment

Thumbscrew

After adjusting the Cutter Sensor, make sure you:

• Have the media and ribbon loaded correctly.

• The media and ribbon type are correct for the configuration.

• The Print Head and Media Hold Down are latched in the closed position.

• The cover is closed.

NOTES:

If the media is not positioned correctly, press the FEED key to realign it.

If power is removed while printing, the media may be incorrectly positioned when power is restored and the printer may print several blank tags. Press the Start/Stop key to pause the print job and turn power off. When power is reapplied, the printer will correctly position the tags.

Page 2-209001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

POWERING ON/OFF

Section 2. Installation

SATO XL PRINTER

Total number of labels printed. Will increment each time a label is printed since the last time the printer was powered On.

Total number of labels to be printed. Will decrement each time a label is printed.

Before Turning Power Off

When removing power from the printer, you should first feed any printed labels or tags out of the printer by pressing the EJECT key while the printer is On Line. Any tags printed but still in the printer will be fed out, cut and the tag/label retracted to place the first print line under the head.

Note: The EJECT operation can be controlled via software commands from the host.

After the printed labels have been ejected from the printer, place the printer in the OFF LINE state before removing power. If the label/tag position is not disturbed while power is off, then the first printable label/tag will be in the correct position when power is reapplied. The Media Type setting is retained in the printer even though power is removed. When power is reapplied, the first print line of the tag/label will be correctly positioned under the print head.

Replenishing the Tag Supply

When replenishing the tag/label supply with the same type and size, it is not necessary to power the printer off. The printer will automatically position the new media to the correct position.

• Raise the print head and relatch it to clear the “Paper End” Error.

• Unlatch the Media Hold Down and position the leading edge of the

media even with the mark on the “Tag Setting Position” label. If labels are

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 2-21

Section 2. Installation

• Close the Media Hold Down and press the START/STOP key.

• The printer will automatically feed the media into the printer and position

being used, the leading edge of the first label should be under the print head and even with the “Label Setting Position” label.

it correctly.

Page 2-229001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

INTRODUCTION

The configuration settings for the XL Series printers are set in two ways. The first is via three DIP switches (DSW1, DSW2 and DSW3) located under the cover. The other is using the Operator Panel LCD Display.

SECTION 3.

CONFIGURATION

CONTROL PANEL

Label Hold Down

On Line LED

Control Panel Cover

Cutter On/Off LED

Power Switch

Error LED

Fuse

Connector

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-1

SATO XL PRINTER

LCD Display

Start/Stop

Feed

Cutter On/Off

Eject

Media

Type

Section 3. Printer Configuration

PRINTER DIP SWITCH CONFIGURATION

DIP Switch Panels

There are three DIP switches (DSW1, DSW2 and DSW3) located underneath an access panel inside the printer. These switches can be used to set:

• RS232C transmit/receive parameters

• Thermal transfer or direct thermal mode

• Head check mode

• Hex dump mode

• Receive buffer size

• Operation mode

Each switch is an eight section “toggle” switch. The ON position is always to the top (up). To set the switches, first power the unit Off, then position the DIP switches. Finally, after placing the switches in the desired positions, power the printer back on. The switch settings are read by the printer electronics during the power up sequence. They will not become effective until the power is cycled.

RS232 Transmit/Receive Setting

Data Bit Selection (DSW1-1) - This switch sets the printer to receive either 7 or 8

bit data bits for each byte transmitted.

DSW1

DSW1-1 SETTING

Off 8 data bits On 7 data bits

OFF

12345678

Parity Selection (DSW1-2, DSW1-3) - These switches select the type of parity used for error detection.

DSW1-2 DSW1-3 SETTING

Off Off No Parity Off On Even On Off Odd On On Not Used

OFF

12345678

DSW1

Page 3-29001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Stop Bit Selection (DSW1-4) - Selects the number of stop bits to end each byte transmission.

DSW1-4 SETTING

Off 1 Stop Bit On 2 Stop Bits

OFF

12345678

DSW1

Baud Rate Selection (DSW1-5, DSW1-6) - Selects the data rate (bps) for the RS232 port.

DSW1-5 DSW1-6 SETTING

Off Off 9600 Off On 19200 On Off 4800 On On 2400

OFF

12345678

DSW1

Protocol Selection (DSW1-7, DSW1-8) - Selects the flow control and status reporting protocols. See Section 6: Interface Specifications for more information.

DSW1-7 DSW1-8 SETTING

Off Off Rdy/Bsy Off On X-On/X-Off On Off Bi-Com On On Not Used

OFF

12345678

DSW1

Printer Set Up

Print Mode Selection (DSW2-1) - Selects between direct thermal printing on

thermally sensitive paper and thermal transfer printing using a ribbon.

DSW2-1 SETTING

Off Therm Xfr On Direct Therm

OFF

12345678

DSW2

Reserved (DSW2-2) - Reserved for future use

Head Check Selection (DSW2-3) - When selected, the printer will check for head

elements that are electrically malfunctioning.

DSW2

DSW2-3 SETTING

Off Disabled On Enabled

OFF

12345678

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-3

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Reserved (DSW2-4) - Reserved for future use.

Receive Buffer Selection(DSW2-5) - Selects the operating mode of the receive

buffer. See Section 6: Interface Specifications for more information.

DSW2-5 SETTING

Off Single Job On Multi Job

OFF

12345678

DSW2

Reserved (DSW2-6) - Reserved for future use.

Protocol Code Selection (DSW2-7) - Selects the command codes used for

protocol control. Refer to page E-1for more information.

DSW2-7 SETTING

Off Standard On Non-Std

OFF

12345678

DSW2

Pitch Size Check (DSW2-8) - Checks the length on the installed media against the size loaded via software (<ESC>A1 Command, page 5-46).

DSW2-8 SETTING

Off Disabled On Enabled

OFF

12345678

DSW2

Reserved (DSW3) - Reserved for future use.

Note: The Centronics (Parallel) communications port is always enabled regardless of the settings for the RS232 port. There are no settings for Centronics! Both the Centronics and RS232 ports are active at all times. Care should be taken to ensure that data is not transmitted to both ports simultaneously as the received message will be corrupted.

Page 3-49001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Default Settings

Switch Selections - All switches are placed in the Off position (default) for shipping. This will result in the following operating configuration:

Communications Protocol: Mode: Head Check: Receive Buffer: Pitch Check:

Software Default Settings - The printer stores the software settings upon receipt and uses them until they are again changed by receipt of a command containing a new setting. These settings are stored in non-volatile RAM and are not affected by powering the printer off. The printer may be reset to use the default software settings by depressing the FEED and START/STOP keys simultaneously while powering the printer on. This will result in the following default configuration:

Print Darkness 22 Print Speed 6 inches per second 5 inches per second Print Reference Vertical = 001

Media type Center hole Tag Center Hole Tag

8 data bits, no parity, 1 Stop bit, 9600 Baud Ready/Busy, Standard Protocol Codes Thermal Transfer Disabled Single Job Sensor Used

XL400 XL410

Vertical = 001

Horizontal = 001

Cutter Enabled Enabled Zero Slash Slash

Once the default operation is completed, a “SATO DEFAULT COMPLETED” message will be displayed on the LCD panel or a single “beep” will be heard if the printer does not have an LCD panel. The printer should be powered off while this message is being displayed (or after the “beep” is heard. This saves the default settings in the EEPROM where they will be automatically loaded the next time the printer is powered on.

SATO DEFAULT COMPLETED

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-5

Section 3. Printer Configuration

PRINTER ADJUSTMENTS

The LCD Panel on the XL400 and XL410 is used by the operator to manually enter printer configuration settings. Many of the settings can also be controlled via software commands and in the case of conflict between software and control panel settings, the printer will always use the last valid setting. If you load a label job that includes software settings and then enter a new setting via the Operation Panel, the manually set values will be used by the printer. If you set the values manually and then download a job with software settings, the software settings will be used.

NORMAL MODE

When the printer is powered on, the ON-LINE LED will be illuminated and the readout should display the following message:

ON LINE 000000 000000

The LCD Panel will display the ON LINE status on the top line of the display and the the bottom line will contain the label quantity status. The ON LINE message will be changed to OFF LINE whenever the printer is switched OFF LINE by depressing the

START/STOP key. As soon as a print job is received, the left quantity message will indicate the number of labels to be printed and the right quantity message the number of labels printed since power up. As soon as the label job begins to print, the display will indicate the number of labels remaining in the print job that remain to be printed. As

each label in the print job is printed, the quantity to be printed (left) will decrement and the quantity printed (right) will increment.

When the printer is first taken offline by pressing the START/STOP key once. The ON LINE LED will go off and the display will change to:

CENTER HOLE TAG 000000 000000

Page 3-69001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

POWER ON

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Normal MODE

POWER

Print Test Labels

POWER + FEED

User Mode

POWER + START/STOP

Load SATO Default Settings

POWER + FEED + START/STOP

ON LINE

000000 000000

USER TEST PRINT

USER MODE

SATO DEFAULT COMPLETED

Download User Defined Protocol Codes

POWER + START/STOP + DSW2-7=ON

Print Service Label

POWER+MEDIA TYPE + FEED

Sensor Setup

POWER + START/STOP + MEDIA TYPE

USER DOWNLOAD

SERVICE PRINT SMALL LARGE

SERVICE MODE

SENSOR SETUP

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-7

Section 3. Printer Configuration

USER MODE

To enter the USER mode, power the printer on while pressing the START/STOP key. After the printer beeps, release the START/STOP key.

Pressing the FEED key will result in the printer now displaying the first USER mode adjustment (Print Darkness).

Print Darkness Setting

There are three Darkness (or heat range) settings on the XL400/410 (1, 2 and 3). The higher numbers represent darker settings. The current setting is indicated by an underline under one of the range settings. To change the setting:

USER MODE

PRINT DARKNESS

1. Use the START/STOP key to step the underline cursor to the desired setting.

2. Once the correct setting is underlined, press the FEED key to advance to the next

adjustment.

Note: This setting can be orverriden by software commands (see Print Darkness page 5-49.

After setting the heat range with this command, finer adjustments can be made using the PRINT potentiometer adjustment on the Adjustment panel. See page 4-1 for

additional information on how to make this adjustment.

Page 3-89001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Print Speed Adjustment

There are three SPEED settings on the XL410 (4 ips, 5 ips and 6 ips) and four on the XL400 (5 ips, 6 ips, 7 ips and 8 ips). They are listed on the bottom line of the display. The current setting is indicated by an underline cursor under one of the speed settings. To change the setting:

PRINT SPEED

1. Use the START/STOP key to step the underline cursor to the desired speed setting.

2. Once the correct setting is underlined, press the FEED key to advance to the next

adjustment.

Note: This command can be overriden by software command (see Print Speed, page 5-53).

See Section 4: CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE, for additional information on how to make this adjustment for optimum print quality.

VH Offset

The Vertical and Horizontal offset allows you to move the label image both horizontally and vertically to position a label format correctly on a label. This allows you to use smaller label formats on media which is larger than the original format called for without having to individually correct each H and V field positions in the command stream. It is the same effect as using the <ESC>A3 Base Reference Point command (page 5-17).

VH OFFSET

+000 +H: 000

1. Use the START/STOP key to select the vertical direction (“+” or “-”).

2. Once the correct direction is displayed, press the FEED key to accept the setting

advance to the vertical setting adjustment.

3. The underline cursor is now positioned under the least significant digit of the V offset

setting. The vertical offset will increase each time the START/STOP key is pressed. If the START/STOP key is pressed and held down, the value will count up rapidly.

4. Once the correct vertical offset is displayed, press the FEED key to accept the setting

and advance to the horizontal setting adjustment.

5. Use the START/STOP key to select the horizontal direction (“+” or “-”).

6. Once the correct direction is displayed, press the FEED key to accept the setting

advance to the horizontal setting adjustment.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-9

Section 3. Printer Configuration

ABCDEFG

Inside Edge

Feed Direction

7. The underline cursor is now positioned under the least significant digit of the H offset

setting. The horizontal offset will increase each time the START/STOP key is pressed. If the START/STOP key is pressed and held down, the value will count up rapidly.

Original Print Line Position

Moved with both Vertical and (+) Horizontal Offset

8. Once the correct setting is displayed, press the FEED key to accept the setting advance

to the next adjustment.

Zero Slash Setting

This setting determines if a zero is printed with a slash or without a slash. This setting can also be controlled via softwware commands. When YES is selected, the XU, XS, XM, XB, XL and vector fonts will have a slash through the center of the zero character.

ZERO SLASH

YES NO

1. Use the START/STOP key to step the underline cusor to either the YES or NO

selection.

2. Once the correct setting is underlined, pressing the FEED key will cycle back to the

Exit

You exit from the USER MODE by removing power from the printer. At this time the values selected will be stored in non-volatile memory.

Page 3-109001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 3. Printer Configuration

SERVICE MODE

A Service Mode is provided to make adjustments that require only occasional changes. Since they affect the basic operation of the printer, the procedure for entering this mode is designed to prevent someone from accidently changing the settings.

To enter the Service Mode, the printer is powered on while pressing the START/STOP simultaneously with the MEDIA TYPE key while powering the printer on.The printer will “beep” one time and display the first configuration selection on the LCD panel. You select the type of adjustment by pressing the START/STOP key. Each time the START/STOP key is pressed, the Service Mode display will be cycled to the next selection. The type of adjustments that can be made in the Service Mode are:

• Sensor Setup

• Pitch Offset

• Cut Offset

From the Service Mode type display, the settings are accessed in sequence by pressing the FEED key. Once you have cycled through all the adjustments for the Service Mode type, pressing the FEED key will sequence you to the next Service Mode type.

Service Mode Setup Sensor

Feed Feed Feed Feed Feed

Gap

I-Mark

• Backfeed Offset

• Clear Counter

Start/Stop to Select Service Mode Type

Feed Feed Feed Feed Feed

Service Mode

Pitch Offset

Center Hole Tag

I-Mark Tag

Side Hole Tag

R-Corner Tag

Label Gap

Label I-Mark

Service Mode

Cut Offset

Center Hole Tag

I-Mark Tag Side Hole Tag R-Corner Tag

Label Gap

Label I-Mark

Service Mode

Backfeed Offset

Center Hole Tag

I-Mark Tag

Side Hole Tag

R-Corner Tag

Label Gap

Label I-Mark

Service Mode Counter Clear

All None Head

Cut

Start/Stop to

SelectSetting

Start/Stop to

Select Settings

Feed Feed Feed Feed Feed

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-11

Start/Stop to

Select Settings

Start/Stop to

Select Settings

Start/Stop to

Select Settings

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Setup Sensor

The XL Series printers determine the location of the leading edge of the label or tag by measuring the difference between light levels when it sees either a media edge or a black I-Mark. This adjustment allows you to manually set the threshold voltage level, between the maximum and minimum light levels. The type of sensor is automatically selected by the MEDIA TYPE setting (Note: GAP is also used for tags). The LCD will display either “GAP” or “I-Mark”on the top line along with the current setting. If the value entered is “0.0V”, then the printer will automatically calculate the setting when the first label is fed after the printer is powered on or the head is closed. There are some instances where the automatically calculated value must be adjusted to ensure reliable label feeding, such as when the backing opacity or the reflectance of the I-Mark varies significantly within a roll of labels or between label rolls. In these instances the value should be set using the following procedures.

SERVICE MODE SENSOR SETUP

GAP (X.XV) INPUT (X.

GAP - When setting the “gap” threshold, the voltage must be measured with nothing (or nothing but the backing if labels are used) in the sensor and then again with a labels in the sensor. The smaller value is added to the larger and the result multiplied by 0.5. This is the starting point to be used. The formula for this is:

(High Voltage Level + Low Voltage Level) x 0.5 = Start Value

1. Insert a tag/label into the sensor (see page 2-11 for location of the sensors) and close the Media Hold Down. Record the voltage shown on the top line of the LCD panel. This line should have the message “GAP” on the top line. Make sure the tag/label is all the way under the sensor.

2. If labels are used, strip the label from the backing and insert the backing strip under the sensor. If tags are used, remove the tag from the sensor. Close the Media Hold Down. Record the voltage shown on the top line of the LCD panel. The voltage ranges measured should be within the following ranges:

Tag or

Label with Backing

No Tag or Label

Backing Only

XV)

If the measured values are outside this range, you may have trouble in finding a value that will work properly under all conditions. If this is the case, a higher quality label may be needed to get adequate performance.

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2.0V to 3.5V Less than 1.0V

Section 3. Printer Configuration

3. Calculate the starting point voltage using the formula.

4. Use the START/STOP key to step the counter to the desired setting. The display will increment one step for each time the Start/Stop key is pressed. If the START/STOP key is held pressed for more than two seconds, it will automatically go into the fast scroll mode. The reading will advance to a setting of 4.9 (the maximum voltage) after which it will automatically wrap and start at “0.0” again. If a value of “0.0” is set, the printer will automatically set the level half way between the two measured voltages each time the printer is powered on with labels loaded.

5. Repeat this procedure using values slightly higher or lower until the optimum performance is obtained. If you cannot find a setting between the high and low readings that gives adequate performance, then the label stock has too much variation in its opacity and a better quality stock should be used.

6. Once the setting is correct, pressing the FEED key will advance to the next display.

I-Mark - When setting the “I-Mark” threshold, the voltage must be measured with nothing but the label or tag under the sensor and then again with the printed I-Mark under the sensor. The smaller value is added to the larger and the result multiplied by 0.5 . This is the starting point to be used. The formula for this is:

(High Voltage Level + Low Voltage Level) x 0.5 = Start Value

1. Insert a label or tag into the sensor (see Section 4: Cleaning and Maintenance for location of the sensors) and close the Media Hold Down. Make sure the printed I-Mark is not under the sensor. Record the voltage shown on the top line of the LCD panel. This line should have the message “I-Mark” on the top line.

2. Now pull the label or tag forward until the I-Mark is positioned under the sensor (the voltage reading should be at its highest point). Record the voltage shown on the top line of the LCD panel. The voltage ranges measured should be within the following ranges:

Label or Tag Only I- Mark

Less than 1.0V 2.5V to 3.5V

3. Calculate the starting point voltage using the formula.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-13

Section 3. Printer Configuration

4. Use the START/STOP key to step the counter to the desired setting. The display will increment one step for each time the START/STOP key is pressed. If the START/STOP key is held pressed for more than two seconds, it will automatically go into the fast scroll mode. The reading will advance to a setting of 4.9 (the maximum voltage) after which it will automatically wrap and start at “0.0” again. If a value of “0.0” is set, the printer will automatically set the level each time the printer is powered on with labels/tags loaded or the head is closed.

5. Repeat this procedure using values slightly higher or lower until the value that gives adequate performance is found. If adequate performance cannot be obtained, then the label stock or printed I-Mark has too much variation in its reflectance and a better quality stock should be used.

6. Once the setting is correct, pressing the FEED key will advance to the next display.

Pitch Offset

The Pitch is the distance from the leading edge of a label or tag to leading edge of the next label or tag. It is used to position the first print line of the label or tag under the print head. This position can be adjusted relative to the “000” reference line (see page 3-26) +/- 99 dots in increments of 1 dot using the following procedure (1 dot = .005" for the XL400 and .0033" for the XL412). Once the position is set, it can be adjusted +/- 3.75 mm using the PRINT POSITION potentiomenter on the Control panel (see page 3-19).

Pitch OFFSET CENTER HOLE TAG

1. Press the FEED key to enter the desired Service Mode type.

2. Use the START/STOP key to select the type of media to be used.

3. Once the correct media type is shown in the display message, pressing the FEED key will advance to the Pitch Direction adjustment.

4. Use the START/STOP key to step the underline cursor to either the positive (+) or negative (-) selection. A positive selection increases the label pitch (or label length) while a negative selection decreases the label pitch.

5. Once the correct direction setting is underlined, pressing the FEED key will advance to the Pitch Offset adjustment.

6. Use the START/STOP key to step the counter to the desired position. The display will increment one step for each time the START/STOP key is pressed. If the START/STOP key is held pressed for more than two seconds, it will automatically go into the fast scroll mode. The reading will advance to a setting of 99 dots after which it will automatically wrap and start at “00” again. The Pitch Direction set in the previous step will be displayed in front of the Offset setting.

+99

7. You may wish to check your settings by printing a label after making the adjustment.

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Section 3. Printer Configuration

8. Once the setting is correct, pressing the FEED key will advance to the Cut Offset

display.

Cut Offset

The Cut Offset is the distance from the reference line (see page 3-20)of a label or tag to the desired cut position. The cut position of the label or tag can be adjusted relative to the reference line +/- 99 dots in increments of 1 dot using the following procedure (1 dot = .005" for the XL400 and .0033" for the XL412). Once the position is set, it can be adjusted +/- 3.75mm using the CUT POSITION potentiomenter on the Control panel (see page 3-20).

CUT OFFSET CENTER HOLE

1. Press the FEED key to enter the desired Service Mode type.

2. Use the START/STOP key to select the type of media to be used.

3. Once the correct media type is shown in the display message, pressing the FEED key

will advance to the Cut Offset direction adjustment.

4. Use the START/STOP key to step the underline cursor to either the positive (+) or

negative (-) selection. A positive selection moves the cut position towards the top of the tag while a negative selection moves the cut position toward the bottom of the tag.

5. Once the correct direction setting is underlined, pressing the FEED key will advance to

the Cut Offset adjustment.

6. Use the START/STOP key to step the counter to the desired position. The display will increment one step for each time the START/STOP key is pressed. If the START/STOP key is held pressed for more than two seconds, it will automatically go into the fast scroll mode. The reading will advance to a setting of 99 dots after which it will automatically wrap and start at “00” again. The Cut Offset Direction set in the previous step will be displayed in front of the Cut Offset setting.

+99

Backfeed Offset

The Backfeed Offset is the distance the label or tag is to be retracted after it is cut. It aligns the print and cut position of the first tag after tags have been ejected from the printer. The backfeed distance can be adjusted relative to the reference line +/- 12 dots (+/- 18 dots for the XL410) in increments of 1 dot using the following procedure (1 dot = .005" for the XL400 and .0033" for the XL410). A minus value retracts the tag less and a positive value pulls the tag further back into the printer.If a value greater than 12 (or 18) is entered, an error will occur.

1. Press the FEED key to enter the desired Service Mode type.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-15

BACKFEED OFFSET

CENTER HOLE

+10

Section 3. Printer Configuration

2. Use the START/STOP key to select the type of media to be used.

3. Once the correct media type is shown in the display message, pressing the FEED key

will advance to the Backfeed Offset direction adjustment.

4. Use the START/STOP key to step the underline cursor to either the positive (+) or

negative (-) selection.

5. Once the correct direction setting is underlined, pressing the FEED key will advance to

the Backfeed Offset adjustment.

6. Use the START/STOP key to step the counter to the desired position. The display will increment one step for each time the START/STOP key is pressed. If the START/STOP key is held pressed for more than two seconds, it will automatically go into the fast scroll mode. The reading will advance to a setting of 99 dots after which it will automatically wrap and start at “00” again. The Backfeed Offset Direction set in the previous step will be displayed in front of the Backfeed Offset setting.

Counter Clear

The Counter Clear Service Mode is used to reset the internal printer counters to zero. This allows the user to keep track of the number of centimeters of label material that has passed through the printer, how many labels have been dispensed or how many labels have been cut.

COUNTER CLEAR NON

The counters are identified in the display as:

NON: None (default) ALL: Clears all counters HEAD: Clears Head Counter CUT: Clears Cutter Counter

1. Press the FEED key to enter the desired Service Mode.

2. Use the START/STOP key to step the underline cursor to the counter(s) to be reset. The default position is None (NON) of the counters. Use the START/STOP key to advance the underline cursor to the desired position.

3. Once the correct setting is underlined, pressing the FEED key will clear the selected counter and advance the display back to the SETUP SENSOR display.

Exit

To exit the Service Mode, remove power from the printer and the settings will be stored in non-volatile memory.

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Section 3. Printer Configuration

USER TEST PRINT

This option allows you to print a Test Label. It is recommended that you print a Test Label after you have changed any of the settings in the User Mode. The test label allows you to verify that you indeed did make the desired changes. To enter the User Test Print Mode, apply power to the printer while simultaneously pressing the FEED key. The printer will “beep” once and display the following message on the LCD panel:

USER TEST PRINT

1. Pressing the START/STOP key will cause the printer to start printing test labels.

2. If you wish to pause the printer after it starts printing labels, pres the START/STOP key to place it Off Line. Pressing the START/STOP key again will place the printer back On Line and the printer will resume printing test labels.

3. If you wish to stop the test label print, pause the printer and then turn power off without placing it On Line.

SERVICE TEST PRINT

This option allows you to print a Service Test Label. It is recommended that you print a test label after you have changed any of the settings in the Service Mode. The Test Label allows you to verify that you indeed made the desired changes. To enter the Service Test Print Mode, apply power to the printer while simultaneously pressing the FEED and MEDIA TYPE keys. The printer will “beep” once and display the following message on the LCD panel:

SERVICE PRINT

SMALL LARGE

1. You can select either a Small or Large label using the START/STOP key. The Large selection assumes you have labels at least 3.1 inches wide loaded in the printer. If your labels are smaller, you must select Small as the head can be easily damaged if nothing is under the print area to dissipate the heat from the print head.

2. If Large is selected, pressing the FEED key will cause a complete Service Test label to be printed. If Small was selected, you will get the following screen:

PRINT SIZE

3. Use the START/STOP key to select the correct size label. Each time the START/STOP key is pressed, the indicated label size will increase by 1 cm. The

maximum size is 10 cm.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-17

4cm

Section 3. Printer Configuration

4. Presing the FEED key will start the Small Service Print Test label print mode. The printer can be paused by pressing the FEED key again.

5. To exit the Service Print Test Mode, pause the printer using the FEED key and then remove power.

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POTENTIOMETER ADJUSTMENTS

There are four potentiometer adjustments located on the Control panel underneath a protective cover at the rear of the printer. They are accessible by loosening the screw and removing the cover.

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Print Position (Pitch Offset)

After the pitch has been set with the LCD panel, it is sometimes desirable to make minor adjustments. This can be done using the PRINT POSITION potentiometer on the control panel. This potentiometer is set at the factory so that it has a range of +/-

3.75 mm. The midpoint setting should have no effect on the print position. Turning the potentiometer all the way counterclockwise should move the print position 3.75 mm towards the leading edge of the tag or label. Turning it all the way clockwise should move the print position away from the leading edge 3.75 mm. This adjustment is best made while printing the actual tags or labels.

Adjust the PRINT POSITION potentiometer on the front panel until the first print position is at the desired location on the label. If the potentiometer does not have enough range, then you will have to change the pitch setting using the LCD panel display. (see page 3-14)

Adjusting the PRINT POSITION potentiometer will not affect the stop position of the label and the cut/tear-off position, it only affects the print position.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 3-19

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Cut Position

When the printer is in the Cut mode (cutter enabled), the Cut Offset is set using the LCD Service Mode to correctly position the label for cutting. Once the correct Cut Offset is obtained, it may be necessary to adjust the position slightly.

This is done with the CUT POSITION potentiometer on the front panel. When turned all the way clockwise the cut position is moved down the tag 3.75mm and when turned all the way counterclockwise, the cut position is moved 3.75mm toward the top of the tag.

1. Turn the printer on.

2. Press the START/STOP key to place the printer in the OFF LINE status.

3. Press the FEED key to feed out a blank label.

4. Adjust the position using the Cut Position potentiometer on the Control panel and feed another label by depressing the FEED key.

5. When the adjustment is correct, turn the printer off.

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Default Offset Settings, XL400

Section 3. Printer Configuration

Display

This potentiometer is used to adjust the contrast of the LCD display for optimum viewing under various lighting conditions.

Print Darkness

There are three Print Darkness settings that can be set either via the LCD panel or with softwware commands. The Print Darkness potentiometer allows you to fine tune the darkness. Turning the potentiometer all the way counterclockwise will decrease the amount of heat (lighter print) and truning it all the way Clockwise will increae the amount of heat (darker print).

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Section 3. Printer Configuration

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CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE

INTRODUCTION

This section provides information on user maintenance for the XL Series printers. The following information is covered in this section:

• Adjusting the Print Quality

• Cleaning the Print Head, Platen and Rollers

PROCEDURES

ADJUSTING THE PRINT QUALITY

The XL printers are equipped with two different methods of adjusting the quality of the print: print darkness and speed. When adjusting the printer for optimum print quality, a bar code verifier system should be used. The human eye is a poor judge of the relative widths of the bars in a symbol, a characteristic that is extremely important for good bar code quality.

SECTION 4.

Darkness (Print)

This adjustment allows the user to control (within a specified range) the amount of power that is used to activate the individual print head heat elements. It is important to find a proper print darkness level based on your particular label and ribbon combination. The printed images should not be too light nor should the ink from the ribbon “bleed.” The edges of each image should be crisp and well defined.

LCD Panel - The Print Darkness can be set using the front panel LCD panel (see page 3-8) or by downloading the setting using the Print Darkness software command (see page 5-49). There are three ranges, 1 (Low), 2 (Medium) and 3 (High). Once the range has been selected, the DARKNESS potentiometer on the Control panel can be used to make finer adjustments.

DARKNESS Potentiometer - The fine adjustment for Print Darkness is the Darkness potentiometer on the operator panel. It provides a continuous range of adjustment, allowing you to make precise changes. Use a small cross-point screwdriver, turning clockwise for darker print and counterclockwise for lighter print. See Section 3: Configuration for instructions on performing potentiometer adjustments.

NOTE: The PRINT potentiometer adjustment will affect the darkness in all of the command code speed ranges, i.e. if the PRINT potentiometer is adjusted for lighter print, the darkness will be lighter in all speed ranges selected by the command code.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 4-1

Section 4. Cleaning and Maintenance

Print Speed

The other method of controlling print quality is by controlling the speed at which the label is printed. This adjustment is made on an individual label basis using the either the Print Speed command code or the LCD display panel . For more details on this command, see page 5-53 in Section 5: Programming. Changing the print speed allows the user to control the amount of time allowed for print element cooling before the media is stepped to the next print position. It is especially critical when printing “ladder” bar codes (bar codes printed with the bars parallel to the print line). When printing a “ladder” bar code, it is important to allow the head to cool sufficiently before stepping to the next position. If it does not have sufficient time to cool, the bar will be “smeared” on the trailing edge.

The Print Speed can be set to 5, 6, 7 or 8 inches per second for the XL400 or 4, 5 or 6 for the XL410 using the LCD panel (see page 3-9) or with the Print Speed command code (see page 5-53). The software command will override the any setting entered using the LCD panel.

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Section 4. Cleaning and Maintenance

CLEANING THE PRINT HEAD, PLATEN, ROLLERS AND SENSORS

Supplies needed: SATO SA070 Cleaning Kit

1. Power the printer Off.

2. Open the print head by rotating the green Head release lever counterclockwise.

3. Moisten a cotton swab with SATO Thermal Print Head and Platen Cleaner.

4. Carefully rub the cotton swab over the length of the print head and along and around the Platen and Ribbon Rollers.

5. Open the Media Hold Down by lifting up on the green plate marked “Push”.

6. Moisten a cotton swab with SATO Thermal Print Head and Platen Cleaner.

7. Use the swab to clean the Nip Roller, Feed Roller, Label Sensor and Tag Sensor.

Ribbon

Roller

Head

Platen

Roller

Nip Roller

Label Sensor

Tag Sensor

Feed Roller

8. Place the Cleaning Sheet under the Print Head (dull side up) and close the Print Head.

9. Slowly pull the Cleaning Sheet out of the printer.

Cleaning Sheet

Print Head

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 4-3

Section 4. Cleaning and Maintenance

10. Moisten a cotton swab with SATO Thermal Print Head and Platen Cleaner.

11. Carefully clean the entire surface of the Cut Roller. Rotate the roller to expose the complete surface while cleaning.

12. Remove the Sensor Plate by pressing down on the detent latch located inside the Sensor Plate mounting

13. Moisten a cotton swab with SATO Thermal Print Head and Platen Cleaner.

Cut Roller

Pitch Sensor

14. Clean the Pitch and I-Mark sensors.

4. Reinstall the Sensor Plate by sliding it back on the shaft.

Sensor

Plate

Pitch Sensor

I-Mark Sensor

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INTRODUCTION

This section presents the commands that are used with the SATO XL Series printers to produce labels with logos, bar codes and alphanumeric data. All of the XL commands use the same syntax. Some commands reference a physical point on the label using horizontal and vertical dot reference numbers. The allowable range for these references is dependent upon the particular printer to accomodate different print widths and resolutions. These differences are noted in tables under the commands affected.

The following information is presented in this section:

SECTION 5.

PROGRAMMING

• The SATO XL Programming Language

• Selecting Protocol Control Codes

• Using Basic

• The Print Area

• Command Codes

THE SATO XL 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 XL 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 SATO XL Series printer.

The command codes used by the SATO XL Series Printers 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.

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 5-1

<ESC>{Command} {Parameter}

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

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

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 and the <ENQ> character asks for the printer status.

There are two pre-defined different sets of Protocol Control codes to choose from. Each set is made up of six special characters. The Standard Protocol Control codes are non-printable characters, and the Non-Standard Protocol Control codes are printable characters. The Non-Standard set 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. Alternately, the user may define and download a set of custom Protocol Control Codes (see Appendix E).

Section 5. Programming Reference

The Protocol Control codes are selected by a DIP switch DSW2-7 on the Control panel (see Section 3: Printer DIP Switch Configuration, page 3-2)

CHARACTER

USING BASIC

It may be useful to test your XL 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 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.

CONTROL

STX 02 Hex 7B Hex = { Start of Data ETX 03 Hex 7D Hex = } End of Data

ESC 1B Hex 5E Hex = ^ Command code to follow ENQ 05 Hex 40 Hex = @ Get printer status, Bi-Com mode CAN 18 Hex 21 Hex = ! Cancel print job, Bi-Com mode

STANDARD

DSW2-7 OFF

NON-STANDARD

DSW2-7 ON

DESCRIPTION

Page 5-29001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Section 5. Programming Reference

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:

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 XL400 Parallel Example Identifies the program as a XL400

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

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

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

40 LPRINT E$;"H400";E$;"V100";E$;"XL1SATO"; Sends the data “SATO” to be to be

50 LPRINT E$;"Q1"; Instructs the printer to print one label. 60 LPRINT E$; “Z”; Tells the printer that the last command

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

character

characters

the LPT1 parallel port

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

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

Printing with the RS232 Port:

5 REM XL400 RS232 Example Identifies the program as a XL400

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

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

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 5-3

RS232 port print label. The “REM” prevents this data from being sent to the printer and displays it only on the screen.

character.

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

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

60 PRINT #1, E$;"H400";E$;"V100";E$;"XL1SATO"; Sends the data “SATO” to be placed

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

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

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

THE PRINT AREA

Section 5. Programming Reference

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

Print Port #1 opened by statement 20 above.

400 dots horizontally and 100 dots vertically on the label and printed in the “XL” autosmoothed 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 maximum print area for the various XL Series printers is listed in Table 5-1 on page 5-5. Most of your label applications will not require labels that fill the entire print 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 frustration when you cannot see the printed output.

The diagram below illustrates the maximum print area and a sample 2 inch wide by 3 inch long label placed within this area. As can be seen, your label will be oriented

Max

Max. Print

Length

Width

Print Area

Label

Feed

Direction

Page 5-49001038 Rev. DSATOXL SeriesPrinters

Your

Label

Normal

Reference

Point

H1, V1

Max. Print

Width minus 2"

Section 5. Programming Reference

against the inside left edge of the printer as viewed from the front 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).

Table 5.1, Print Area

XL400 XL410

Resolution 203 dpi

8 dpmm

Max Print Width 800 dots

3.9 in.

100 mm

Max Label Width 5.0 in.

128 mm

Std Print Length 1920 dots

9.5 in.

240 mm

Expanded Print Length Using Memory Card

128 Kbyte 1168 dots

512 Kbyte 4768 dots

1 Mbyte 9360 dots

2 Mbyte 9999 dots

(2)

5.7 in.

146 mm

23.5 in. 596mm

46 in.

1170 mm

49.2 in.

1249 mm

(1)

305 dpi

12 dpmm

1200 dots

3.9 in.

100 mm

5.0 in.

128 mm

2880 dots

9.5 in.

240 mm

743 dots

2.4 in.

62 mm

2977 dots

9.7 in.

248 mm

5956 dots

19.5 in.

496 mm

9999 dots

32.8 in.

833 mm

(1)

(1). Limited by number of digits in command field. (2). When a Memory Card is used to expand the print length, the card capacity is used instead of the internal memory, not in addition to the internal memory.

There are two methods available to make sure your printed output will appear correctly on your label. They are 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. For a 12 dpmm XL410 printer, this would be:

Label Width = 2" x 25.4 mm/in x 12 dpmm = 610 dots

For an 8 dpmm XL400 printer, this would be:

Label Width = 2" x 25.4 mm/in x 8 dpmm = 406 dots

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Section 5. Programming Reference

The new Base Reference Point then becomes:

New Base Reference Point = Maximum Print Width - Label Width

For a XL410, the new Base Reference Point is

New Base Reference Point = 1200dots - 610 dots = 590dots

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.

For a 12 dpmm printer, this would be:

Label Width = 2" x 25.4 mm/in x 12 dpmm = 610 dots

and for an 8 dpmm printer:

Label Width = 2" x 25.4 mm/in x 8 dpmm = 406 dots New Base Reference Point = Maximum Print Width - Label Width

Each <ESC>H command would have the value “590” 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. If you want to test any of the sample label outputs and are using labels less than five inches in width, we suggest that you add the Base Reference Point command to the data stream in order for the images to print on your labels.

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. The addition of the Base Reference Point command to the sample data stream may help to adjust the print for your labels. See the following two examples or refer to the Base Reference Point command description.

For example, the following illustrates a sample data stream for a XL410 printer and the resulting label assuming a 4.0 inch wide label:

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

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Section 5. Programming Reference

Label

If you are using a 2 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.

<ESC>A <ESC>A3HV0590 <ESC>H0050<ESC>V0100<ESC>L0303<ESC>XMSATO <ESC>H0050<ESC>V0200<ESC>B103100*SATO* <ESC>H0170<ESC>V0310<ESC>L0101<ESC>XUSATO <ESC>Q1 <ESC>Z

The image is moved horizontally to the right 2.0 inches (590 dots) so that it can be printed on a 2 inch wide label.

Label

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

H=50

V=100

SATO

V=200

*SATO*

V=310

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 5-7

*SATO*

SAT O

H=70

4.0"

Section 5. Programming Reference

SATOSATO

ROTATED FIELDS

The XL Series printers can rotate each print field in 90° increments using the Rotate command.

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

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

*SATO* *SATO*

remains the same.

*SATO* *SATO*

2" Label

4.0"

<ESC>A<ESC>%1<ESC>V800<ESC>H200<ESC>L0202<ESC>XB1E<ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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Section 5. Programming Reference

Base

Ref

Point

V=800

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:

H=200

Label

Feed

Direction

“%1”

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=1, V=1 (2) Character Expansion 1 (1) Print Darkness 2 (1) Print Speed XL400 6 ips (2) Print Speed XL410 4 ips (2) Offset (3)

NOTES:

(1) The settings for these commands will revert to the default value when the printer receives an <ESC>Z or an <ESC>*.

(2) The values transmitted with these commands will remain in effect until a new command is received.

(3) The default value for offset depends upon the type of media selected.

Side Notch Tag

Label I-Mark

Label Gap

Center Hole Tag

Side Hole Tag

I-Mark Tag

XL400 0.00 +040 4.5mm XL410 0.00 +060 4.5mm

SATOXL SeriesPrinters9001038 Rev. DPage 5-9

COMMAND CODES

This section contains all the XL Series 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 the XL Series Printers.

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.

Section 5. Programming Reference

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. However, certain commands require the exact number of matching characters. A command with two parameters listed following the command code without a comma delimiter, 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.

NOTE: These examples assume the use of the Standard Protocol Command Codes, a parallel interface and a four inch wide label in a XL400 printer. The labels for all other printers will be similar, but, because of different resolutions may be scaled differently.

An alphabetical listing of the command codes is contained in Appendix A: Command Code Quick Reference.

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Section 5. Programming Reference

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 5 reserved 6 reserved 7 reserved 8 reserved 9 reserved A reserved B reserved C reserved D reserved EUPC-E F Bookland G Code 128

I UCC 128 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

nine standard bar code symbologies available to be printed and three two d imensional symbols (see Two Dimensional bar code symbols starting o n page 5-89. Each of the bar codes are unique, and it is important to know the differences. See Appendix B for specific information o n using each individual bar code symbol.

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Section 5 . Programming Reference

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 places decender bars in the symbol.

2. The Code 128 and UCC 128 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 A ppendix B for more specific instructions and detailed information regarding individual bar code symbols.

5. Because o f their unique characteristics, two-dimensional symbols are covered separately (see page 5-89).

6. For UCC128, the FNC1 code is automatically inserted and the Mod 10 and Mod 103 check digits are automatically calculated.

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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

Section 5. Programming Reference

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>BD103100*XL400* <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

SATOXLSeriesPrinters9001038Rev.DPage5-13

<ESC>BT command (see Page 5-14).

2. The following bar codes will be affected by the Character Pitch command: Codabar and Code 39.

Section 5 . Programming Reference

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 Placement: Following print position commands and preceding

<ESC>BW

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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Section 5. Programming Reference

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

Code Expansion command (see Page 5-13).

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.

4. See Appendix B for more specific instructions and details regarding individual bar code symbols.

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Section 5 . Programming Reference

Batch Separator

Command Structure <ESC>Ia

a = 1 Batch Marker- Prints a black mark on the edge of

b = 1 Batch Separator - Cuts the first tag in a print job

Example: See Above Placement: Before or after job data stream Default: None

the first tag of the print job.

2 mm longer and the following tag 2 mm shorter.

Command Function To separate tag batches in the stacker. Printer Input

Printer Output 1. If a Batch Separator tag is specified, the first 2 tags of the print job

<ESC>A<ESC>V0100<ESC>H0300< ESC>XMJob1<ESC>Q5<ESC>Z <ESC>A<ESC>I1<ESC>Z <ESC>A<ESC>V0100<ESC>H0300<ESC>WB1JOB2<ESC>Q5<ESC>I1<ESC>Z

are used. If these 2 tags are not to be used, you must increase your print quantity by 2 tags to get the desired number of usable tags.

2. If the Batch Separator Tag command is used in a separate print job, you must specify a quantity of at least 2 tags or the command will be ignored.

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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 (see Note 5 for field range) bbbb = Vertical Print Offset (see Note 5 for field range) Example: <ESC>A3H100V0050 Placement: Preceding all images that are based on the new base

reference point

Section 5. Programming Reference

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:

<ESC>A<ESC>L0202 <ESC>H0025<ESC>V0025<ESC>XBNORMAL REFERENCE POINT <ESC>A3H0300V0075 <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0050<ESC>XBNEW REFERENCE POINT <ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Printer Output:

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Section 5 . Programming Reference

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 or the setting is changed from the operator panel. See Section 3: Printer Configuration.

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 5-50).

Example:

Let’s say the current base reference point is H=1, V=1 and you wish t o 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 5-4).

5. The allowable field ranges for this command depend upon the setting of DSW2-2 and are:

XL410 XL410

Horizontal

aaaa

Vertical

bbbb

0001 to 960 0001 to 1200

0001 to 1440 0001 to 2880

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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

Section 5. Programming Reference

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<ESC>K1H903F <ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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Section 5 . Programming Reference

Printer Output

Special Notes 1. When printing the custom character using the Recall command, the

character is affected by the following commands:

Character Expansion (see Page 5-21) Character Pitch (see Page 5-23) Line Feed (see Page 5-44) Rotate, B ase Reference Point Fixed (see Page 5-59)

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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Section 5. Programming Reference

Character Expansion

Command Structure <ESC>Laabb

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

Example: <ESC>L0305 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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Section 5 . Programming Reference

Special Notes This command will expand the following fonts:

1. Fonts XU, XS, XM, OA & OB (see Page 5-28) and fonts XB and XL (see Page 5-32).

2. This command will also affect the following commands:

Character Pitch (see Page 5-23) Characters, Custom-Designed (see Page 5-19)

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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Section 5. Programming Reference

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 t he 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>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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Section 5 . Programming Reference

Special Notes 1. This command is affected by the <ESC>L Character Expansion

command (see Page 5-21). The character pitch is actually the product of the current horizontal expansion multiple and the designated pitch value.

Example:

<ESC>L0304 <ESC>P03 Pitch = (03) x (03) = 9 dots

2. To avoid confusion, you may want to include the <ESC>L Character Expansion command and this command together in your program.

3. This command affects fonts XU, XS, XM, XCS, XCL, OA & OB (see Page 5-28, fonts XB and XL (see Page 5-32), and the vector font (see Page 5-30).

4. Character Pitch will always revert to the default value unless it is specified before each new font command in the data stream.

5. This command also affects Codabar and Code 39 bar codes.

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Clear Print Job(s) & Memory

Command Structure <ESC>*a

a = If the “a” parameter is not included with this command and

a = If “a” is included with this command, it specifies the internal

Example: <ESC>*

Section 5. Programming Reference

the printer is in the multi-buffer mode, this command clears all print jobs in the printer memory, including the current print job.

memory section to be cleared T To clear the custom character memory & To clear the form overlay memory X To clear all internal memory

<ESC>*X

Placement: This command should be sent to the printer as an

independent data stream.

Default: None

Command Function To clear individual memory or buffer areas of the printer.

Input to Printer:

Printer Output: There is no printer output as a result of this command. The current

Special Note 1. See Memory Card Functions for variations of this command used to

<ESC>A <ESC>* <ESC>Z

print job in the buffer will be terminated and all other print jobs in the buffer cleared.

clear data from the memory card (Page 5-71).

2. It is not necessary to clear the printer’s memory between each print job.

3. The primary purpose of this command is to clear all print jobs in the multi-buffer mode. The “a” parameter can be used in either the multi-buffer or single job mode to clear specific parts of the memory.

SATOXLSeriesPrinters9001038Rev.DPage5-25

4. When the “a” parameter is used, the section of memory specified will not be cleared until the label is printed.

Section 5 . Programming Reference

Copy Image Area

Command Structure <ESC>WDHaaaaVbbbbXccccYdddd

aaaa = Horizontal position of the top left corner of the area to be copied bbbb = Vertical position of the top left corner of the area to be copied cccc = Horizontal length o f the image area to be copied dddd = Vertical length of the image area to be copied

Example: <ESC>WDH0100V0050X0600Y0400 Placement: Anywhere within the data stream, after specifying the

location of the duplicate image.

Default: None

Command Function To copy an image from one location to another on the same label.

This may be useful for duplicating individual fields or entire sections of the label with only one command.

Input to Printer:

<ESC>A <ESC>H0050<ESC>V0050<ESC>E010<ESC>XM SATOSATOSATOSATOSATOSATOSATO SATOSATOSATOSATOSATOSATOSATO SATOSATOSATOSATOSATOSATOSATO SATOSATOSATOSATOSATOSATOSATO <ESC>H0180<ESC>V0250<ESC>WDH0130V0050X0400Y0200 <ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Printer Output:

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Section 5. Programming Reference

Special Notes 1. Use the Print Position commands (V and H) to locate the new area

for the duplicate image (see Page 5-50).

2. Position of the new target area must not be inside the original image.

3. If you use the Rotate command, V, H, X and Y axes will be reversed.

4. If the reference area of the target image exceeds the print area, it will not be printed.

5. The a llowable ranges for these fields are as follows:

XL400 XL410

Horizontal

aaaa

cccc

Vertical

bbbb dddd

0001

0800 0001

1920

0001

1200 0001

2880

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Section 5 . Programming Reference

Fonts OA, OB, XU, XS & XM

Command Structure Font XU: <ESC>XU

Font XS: <ESC>XS Font XM: <ESC>XM Font OA: <ESC>OA Font OB: <ESC>OB

Example: See above Placement: Preceding the data to be printed Default: None

Command Function To print text images on a label. These are eight of the built-in fonts

available on the printer. All matrices include descenders.

OA OCR-A font (see Note 7 for matrix) XU 5W x 9H dot matrix OB OCR-B font (see Note 7 for matrix) XS 17W x 17H dot matrix

Input to Printer <ESC>A

<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0100<ESC>L0202<ESC>XUSATO <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0175<ESC>L0202<ESC>XSSATO

<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0250<ESC>L0202<ESC>XMSATO <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0325<ESC>L0101<ESC>OASATO <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0400<ESC>L0101<ESC>OBSATO <ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Printer Output

NON-PROPORTIONAL PROPORTIONAL

XM 24W x 24H dot matrix

Special Notes 1. Characters may be enlarged through the use of the Character

Expansion command (see Page 5-21).

2. Character spacing may be altered through the use of the Character Pitch command (see Page 5-23). The default is 2 dots between

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Section 5. Programming Reference

characters. It is recommended to use a spacing of 5 dots for OCR-A and 1 dot for OCR-B.

3. You may also create custom characters or fonts. See the <ESC>T Custom-Designed Characters command (Page 5-19).

4. A font must be defined for each field to be printed. There is no default font.

5. The proportionally spaced fonts XU, XS, XM, XL and XA can be printed with fixed spacing using the <ESC>PS Proportional Space command.

6. The matrices for the OA and OB fonts are scaled so that they will remain a constant size according to the OCR-A and OCR-B specifications when printed on different resolution printers.

XL400 XL410

OA Font 15 dots W x 22 dots H 22 dots W x 33 dots H OB Font 20 dots W x 24 dots H 30 dots W x 36 dots H

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Section 5 . Programming Reference

Font, Vector

Command Structure Specify Vector Font: <ESC>$a,b,c,d

Data for Vector Font: <ESC>$=(data) a = A Helvetica Bold (proportional spacing)

B Helvetica Bold (fixed spacing)

b = Font width (50-999) c = Font height (50-999 dots) d = Font variation (0-9) as follows:

0 Standard 1 Standard open (outlined) 2 Gray (mesh) pattern 1 3 Gray (mesh) pattern 2 4 Gray (mesh) pattern 3 5 Standard open, shadow 1 6 Standard open, shadow 2 7 Standard mirror image 8Italic 9 Italic open, shadow

Example: <ESC>$A,100,200,0<ESC>$=123456 Placement: Immediately preceding data to be printed. Default: None

Command Function To specify printing of the unique SATO vector font. The vector font

allows large characters to be printed with smooth, round edges. Each character is made of a number of vectors (or lines), and will require slightly more printer compiling time.

Input to Printer

<ESC>A <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0100<ESC>$A,100,100,0<ESC>$=SATO AMERICA <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0200<ES C>$=VECTOR FONT <ESC>$A,200,300,8<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0350<ESC>$=SATO <ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

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Printer Output

Section 5. Programming Reference

Special Notes 1. The P itch command can be used with Vector fonts.

2. If the font size designation is out of the specified range, a default value o f 50 is used.

4. The font width and height values include asenders, desenders and other space.

5. A font must be defined for each field to be printed. There is no default font.

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Section 5 . Programming Reference

Fonts XB & XL

Command Structure Font XB: <ESC>XBa

Font XL: <ESC>XLa a = 0 Disables auto-smoothing of font

1 Enables auto-smoothing of font (see notes below)

Example: <ESC>XB1123456 Placement: Preceding the data to be printed Default: None

Command Function To print text images on a label. These are the two auto-smoothing

fonts available on the printer.

XB 48W x 48H dot matrix XL 48W x 48H dot matrix

Input to Printer: ESC>A

<ESC>H0001<ESC>V0100<ESC>XB0SATO <ESC>H0001<ESC>V0185<ESC>XB1SATO

<ESC>H0001<ESC>V0270<ESC>XL0SATO <ESC>H0001<ESC>V0355<ESC>XL1SATO <ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Printer Output:

Special Notes 1. Auto-smoothing (when enabled) is only effective if the character

expansion rate is at least (3) times in each direction.

2. Characters may be enlarged through the use of the <ESC>L Character Expansion command (see Page 5-21).

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Section 5. Programming Reference

3. Character spacing may be altered through the use of the <ESC>A Character Pitch command (see Page 5-23).

4. A font must be defined for each field to be printed. There is no default font.

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Section 5 . Programming Reference

Fonts XCS and XCL

Care Symbols

Command Structure Font XCS: <ESC>XCS,{data}

Font XCL: <ESC>XCL,{data} {data} = ASCII code for Care Symbols Example: <ESC>XCS,0123ABC Placement: Preceding the data to be printed Default: None

Command Function To print Care Symbols images on a label. These are the four

auto-smoothing fonts available on the printer.

Input to Printer:

Printer Output

XCS 24W x 24H dot matrix XCL 36W x 36H dot matrix

<ESC>A <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0100<ESC>XCS,01AB <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0185<ESC>XCL,01AB <ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Special Notes 1. There are 34 Care Symbols in this font, in the ranges 03H to 08H,

14H to F4H, 05H to 85H and A5H. See Appendix F for font tables.

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Section 5. Programming Reference

Form Feed

Command Structure <ESC>A(space)<ESC>Z

Example: See above Placement: Separate data stream sent to printer Default: None

Command Function To feed a blank tag or label, which is the equivalent of a “form feed”

Input to Printer

Printer Output Blank label or tag

<ESC>A(space) <ESC>Z

SATOXLSeriesPrinters9001038Rev.DPage5-35

Section 5 . Programming Reference

Form Overlay, Recall

Command Structure <ESC>/

Example: See above Placement: Must be preceded by all other data and placed just before

the Print Quantity command (<ESC>Q)

Default: None

Command Function To recall the label image from the form overlay memory for printing.

This command recalls a stored image from the overlay memory. Additional or different data can be printed with the recalled image.

Input to Printer

Printer Output

<ESC>A <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0125 <ESC>XSTHIS IS THE STORED IMAGE WITH A BARCODE <ESC>H0100<ESC>V0165<ESC>B103100*12345* <ESC>&<ESC>Z

<ESC>A<ESC>H0100<ESC>V0050 <ESC>XSTHIS IS RECALLING AND ADDING TO THE STORED IMAGE<ESC>/ <ESC>Q1<ESC>Z

Special Notes 1. The o verlay is stored using the <ESC>& Form Overlay Store

command (see Page 5-37).

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SATO XL400,XL410 Operator And Technical Reference Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual