Source Technologies ST9630 User Manual

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Secure MICR Printer

User’s Guide

No part of this document may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Source Technologies, LLC.

Published in the United States of America by:

Source Technologies, LLC

2910 Whitehall Park Drive

Charlotte, NC 28273

Author: Source Technologies, LLC

Notice

This manual serves as a reference for a Source Technologies Secure MICR Printer. This manual should be used as a reference for learning more about MICR technology and developing MICR printing applications. This guide was produced to assist IS Technicians and Engineers in the integration of Source Technologies’ programmed printers with their custom MICR applications. The guide also contains information on MICR related error messages that post to the operator panel.

To the best of our knowledge, the information in this publication is accurate: however, neither Source Technologies, LLC nor its dealers or affiliates assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of, or consequences arising from, such information. Changes, typos, and technical inaccuracies will be corrected in subsequent publications. This publication is subject to change without notice. The information and descriptions contained in this manual cannot be copied, disseminated, or distributed without the express written consent of Source Technologies, LLC. This document is intended for informational purposes only. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by Source Technologies, LLC. Final determination of the suitability of any information or product for use contemplated by any user, and the manner of that use is the sole responsibility of the user. We recommend that anyone intending to rely on any recommendation of materials or procedures mentioned in this publication should satisfy himself as to such suitability, and that he can meet all applicable safety and health standards.

All trade names or products used in this manual are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Document Number: 104506

Revision: A

Source Technologies, LLC

ST9630 Secure MICR Printer User’s Guide

		Table of Contents
	Table of Contents
1. Printer and Driver Installation...............................................................................		5
	Driver Overview...........................................................................................................	6
	Downloading the Universal Driver................................................................................	7
	Unzipping the Driver....................................................................................................	7
	Installing the Driver......................................................................................................	8
	Configure the Driver to enable MICR Mode...............................................................	14
	Configure the Driver to Recognize the Printer Secure Fonts......................................	15
	Configure another driver to print without MICR toner.................................................	15
	Selecting the printer ..................................................................................................	18
2.	MICR Overview ....................................................................................................	20
	The Check Clearing System......................................................................................	20
	MICR Printing Standards in the United States Today ................................................	20
3.	MICR Check Design.............................................................................................	22
	General Features of Check Design............................................................................	22
	Position and Dimension Gauge .................................................................................	22
	Design Elements in Detail .........................................................................................	22
	Data Elements...........................................................................................................	23
4.	Quality Issues......................................................................................................	27
	Printer Features.........................................................................................................	27
	MICR Toner...............................................................................................................	27
	MICR Check Stock....................................................................................................	28
5.	Security Issues ....................................................................................................	29
6.	MICR Features .....................................................................................................	31
	MICR Mode...............................................................................................................	31
	MICR Fonts...............................................................................................................	31
	Secure Fonts.............................................................................................................	31
	MicroPrint..................................................................................................................	31
	Bi-Directional Feedback ............................................................................................	32
	Resource Storage .....................................................................................................	33
	MICR Menu...............................................................................................................	33
	Entering MICR Mode.................................................................................................	34
	MICR Mode Commands............................................................................................	35
	DES and AES Decryption..........................................................................................	39
	Custom Character Conversation Command ..............................................................	41
	Special Alert and Custom Beep Command................................................................	41
	MICRpoint Feature....................................................................................................	42
7. IBM Host Programming Features and Examples ..............................................		44
	Hex Transfer .............................................................................................................	44
	Escape Character Translation ...................................................................................	48
8.	Audit Trail Reports ..............................................................................................	50
	Report Details ...........................................................................................................	50
	Audit Trail Menu ........................................................................................................	50
	Audit Location ...........................................................................................................	50
	Audit Record Sorting .................................................................................................	50
	Overlay......................................................................................................................	50
	Sum Field 4...............................................................................................................	50
	Print Audit Report......................................................................................................	51
9.	Error Messages....................................................................................................	60

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Appendix A: E13B MICR Font Mapping.....................................................................	61
Appendix B: CMC7 MICR Font Mapping....................................................................	61
Appendix C: Secure Numeric Font Mapping.............................................................	61
Appendix D: ICR Secure Numeric Font Mapping......................................................	61
Appendix E: MICR Mode Command Summary..........................................................	61
Appendix F: Audit Report Command Summary........................................................	61
Appendix G: PJL Based MICR Commands................................................................	61
PJL MICRJOB...........................................................................................................	61
Fonts and Secured Resources ..................................................................................	61
PJL Unlock Sequence ...............................................................................................	61
PJL Re-Lock Sequence.............................................................................................	61
PJL Re-Lock Sequence With A New Password Value...............................................	61
PCL Font Call Commands.........................................................................................	61
MICR Font Note ........................................................................................................	61
PJL Info MICR Command..........................................................................................	61
PJL MICR Command Example..................................................................................	61
PJL Unlock Sequence ...............................................................................................	61
PCL Initial Set-Up......................................................................................................	61
PCL Macro Call .........................................................................................................	61
PCL Font Calls, Positioning Commands and Variable Print Data ..............................	61
PJL Re-Lock Sequence.............................................................................................	61
Appendix H: Accounts Payable..................................................................................	61

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ST9630 Secure MICR Printer User’s Guide

Printer and Driver Installation | 1

1. Printer and Driver Installation

Note: To access Source Technologies’ secure fonts loaded on the printer, such as the E13B MICR font, download the universal driver as described in the next section. The printer drivers on this CD may be used for general office printing but do not facilitate using secure fonts.

For complete information on how to unpack and setup your printer, see your printer’s user’s guide.

1.Locate the CD that was shipped with your printer and load into CD drive. The CD should auto-run and the following screen will be displayed. If auto-run is disabled on your computer, browse to the CD and click Setup.exe to run

2.Click on View User’s Guide for information on unpacking, installing, and operating your printer.

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Printer and Driver Installation | 1

Driver Overview

Your new MICR printer requires specific PCL 5 commands to load and print secure fonts such as the MICR E13B font. These specific commands may be coded in to your custom application, or if you use a software program such as Source Technologies’ CheckPartner™ Enterprise, these commands are automatically sent to the printer as needed. To print checks or other documents requiring secure fonts from other Windows applications please download the universal driver— designed specifically to allow access to your printer’s secured resources—using the following steps:

1.Select the Driver Zip file matching your operating system and printer model.

2.Download this file to a location, such as the Windows Desktop.

3.Unzip this file and make sure the “Use Saved path” option is selected.

4.Browse to the Source Tech Driver folder extracted from the zip file.

5.Run the driver install program. For example:

Printer_UDO_2KXP03_x86_PCL_Emul_sys_en.exe

6.Follow the instructions to install the driver.

7.Configure the driver to use MICR_on.sep page separator file (used to select MICR mode).

8.Configure the driver to “Update the Font list” using the 96XXfont.pcm file. This will enable Windows applications to recognize the printer’s secure fonts.

9.From the Windows application, select the installed printer.

10.From a Windows application, select the specific text to be printed. Then select the secure font name and point size using the capabilities of the particular Windows application.

The following fonts and point size are supported.

Font Name	Point Size	Font Sample
MICR E13B	8

MICR CMC7	8

SECURE	36

ICR Secure	12

MicroPrint	1

Note: The fonts illustrated above may not match the size or appearance of those printed by the MICR printer. The characters are enhanced for illustration purposes only.

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Printer and Driver Installation | 1

Downloading the Universal Driver

1.Browse to the URL below from your web browser. http://www.sourcetech.com/support/drivers.asp

2.From this page go to the section for the particular operating system you are using such as Widows 2000, XP, etc.

3.Click on your specific model such ST9612, ST9620 etc.

4.When the File Security dialog box appears, select Save.

5.When the Save As file dialog box appears browse to a folder you have created or to the Desktop and save the driver zip file.

6.Once the file is downloaded browse to the folder where saved and doubleclick the zip file to extract the driver contents. For example, the zip file for Windows 2000, XP, and Windows Server 2003 is:

Universal_Driver_2KXP03_x86.zip

Note: The remainder of the instructions applies to Windows XP. The exact steps may vary depending on the particular operating system you are using.

Unzipping the Driver

1.Double-click the driver zip file to launch the unzip program installed on your computer.

2.Follow the steps for your particular unzip program to extract the files. Make sure the “Save with Paths” option is selected.

3.Browse to the location where you wish to extract the files, such as the Desktop, and then extract the files.

4.The extracted zip files will be saved to the location selected in the previous step. For example, if you saved the file to the Desktop you should now find a new folder on the Desktop named:

Source Tech Driver

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Installing the Driver

Note: Do not connect the printer at this time.

1.From the Source Tech Driver folder, double-click the driver installation program.

Note: The name of the driver’s .exe program will vary depending on the operating system being used. There will only be one executable file included with the driver.

2. Click Next >.

3. Click I accept the terms, and then click Next >.

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4.Leave the “Save files in folder” option as shown above then click Next >.

5.After the installation program installs the necessary files, the following message will be displayed revealing the next steps required to install the driver. At the same time, an “Add Printer Wizard” will run as shown in the next step.

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6.Click Cancel if connecting through USB.

7.Power on the printer and wait for the New Hardware Wizard to appear.

8. Select “No, not this time,” then Next >.

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9. Select Install from a list or specific location (Advanced).

10.Click Next >.

11.Click Don’t search, I will choose the driver to install.

12.Click Next >.

13.Scroll down the list and select Printers.

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14. Click Next >.

15. Click Have Disk.

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16.Select Browse. Browse to the driver files on your disk and then select

Open.

17.Select OK.

18.Select Source

Technologies from the Manufacturer list and then click

Next >.

19. Select Yes to continue.

20. Once the files have copied, select Finish to close the Wizard.

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Configure the Driver to enable MICR Mode

To unlock the secure font resources located in the printer, the driver must be configured to send down a separator page before each print job. The separator page contains the necessary commands to unlock the resources.

1.Click Start then select the Printer and Faxes folder.

2.Locate the printer you just installed and right-click the icon. Then select

Properties.

3.From the General tab, type a descriptive name for the printer, such as ST9620 MICR.

4. Click the Advanced tab.

5.Click the Separator Page button. Then select Browse and locate the MICR_on.sep file in the Windows\system32 folder.

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ST9630 Secure MICR Printer User’s Guide

Printer and Driver Installation | 1

Configure the Driver to Recognize the Printer Secure Fonts

1.Select the Fonts tab. Select Update List.

2.Select the upper Browse button. Locate the directory that contains the 96XXfont.pcm file and select OK.

3.Select the Search Path button.

4.Select ST 96XX Font Collection. Then select the Add to driver button.

5.Select the Done.

6.When you have made all of the desired changes choose OK to save your settings.

Configure another driver to print without MICR toner

If you plan to use your printer for normal office printing (without MICR toner or fonts) you must add a second instance of the printer driver. Switching between MICR and nonMICR modes alters settings which are stored in the printer’s NVRAM. It is recommended not to switch between the modes more than a few times per day to avoid wearing out the NVRAM part.

1.In the Printers folder, select Add a Printer.

2.Select the Local printer option, then select Next >.

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3.Choose the port to which your MICR printer is connected and then select

Next >.

4.Select the Have Disk button and the Browse button and locate the driver files. Select Source Technologies as the Manufacturer and select Next >.

5.Choose Keep existing driver and select Next >.

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6.Enter a Printer name to differentiate it from the MICR instance of the driver and then decide if it is to be the default printer. Select

Next >.

7.If you do not wish to share your printer on a network, leave the "Do Not share this printer" button marked and choose "Next". Otherwise, select the "Share as" radio button and enter the name you wish to assign to this shared printer. Then choose Next >. If you wish, you may enter the location of this printer and/or any comments to associate with the printer and choose Next >.

8.You now have the option to print a test page to test the configuration of your printer. Click Next >.

9.Select Finish to complete the installation.

10.You can now setup your printer by browsing to the Printers folder and rightclicking on your printer's icon. From the menu, click Properties.

L Select the Advanced tab.

L Select the Separator Page button.

L Select Browse and locate the MICR_off.sep file.

11.When you have made all of the desired changes choose OK to save your settings.

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Printer and Driver Installation | 1

Selecting the printer

Printing Secure font resources from a Windows Application

First, set the MICR printer as the active printer – in most applications this is done by selecting Print from the File menu. This is not necessary if the MICR printer is the default printer.

Source Technologies’ fonts should appear in the application’s font formatting options. The fonts are named:

ICR Secure 12 pt.

MICR CMC7 8 pt.

MicroPrint 1 pt.

MICR E13B 8 pt.

SECURE 36 pt.

They will usually appear in alphabetical order among all other available fonts.

The font size must be selected as indicated in the font name. The font displayed on the screen will not resemble the printed font.

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Comparison of printer drivers configured as MICR and non-MICR

CONFIGURED FOR MICR	CONFIGURED FOR NON-MICR


MICR_on.sep separator page used	MICR_off.sep separator page used
Unlocks Secure Resources (fonts)	Locks Secure Resources (fonts)
Copy Count = 1	DEFAULT MICRJOB=OFF
Jam Recovery = Off
MICR Toner ONly
DEFAULT MICRJOB=ON

Secure Fonts enabled by 96xxFont.pcm	No Secure Fonts
ICR Secure 12 pt.
MICR CMC7 8 pt.
MICR E13B 8 pt.
MicroPrint 1 pt.
SECURE 36 pt.

Universal Driver Options to set on the driver Install Options tab

Base printer

Automatic duplex

Multipurpose feeder

Flash memory card (optional, if installed)

Tray 2 (optional)

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ST9630 Secure MICR Printer User’s Guide

MICR OVERVIEW | 2

2. MICR Overview

MICR stands for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. All MICR documents have a MICR line with numbers and symbols printed in a unique MICR font with magnetically chargeable ink or toner. Each character of the MICR font has a unique waveform when sensed magnetically. Financial institutions and the Federal Reserve use the MICR line to identify and sort checks. The high-speed automated processing of checks and other financial documents depends on the accuracy and the integrity of the data printed in the MICR line. Your new Source Technologies Secure MICR Printer is specifically designed to produce high quality MICR documents.

The Check Clearing System

The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21) was signed into law October 28, 2003. Prior to Check 21, checks traveled through the bank’s high speed reader/sorter equipment an average of near seven times in the Check Clearing process. Some checks could be read up to 30 times or more by these machines.

In today’s environment high and low speed check readers can capture a picture or image of the check allowing for images to be exchanged between financial institutions, the Federal Reserve, and other clearing houses. This new law, Check 21, defines what is called a “Substitute Check”, and removed barriers that existed in converting physical checks to check images for clearing. The original physical check can now be truncated by the first institution that converts the check to image. The original check can now be destroyed.

United States and International MICR Standards still require the printed MICR line information to be of the highest quality and durability. Additionally, issues related to check fraud continue to place high importance on print quality. For these reasons, the quality and durability of information printed with Source Technologies Secure MICR Printers remains a key new product development criterion.

MICR Printing Standards in the United States Today

Congress established the Federal Reserve System (FRS) in 1913. Today most commercial banks in the United States belong to the FRS. Many other depository institutions provide banking and checking account services to the public. These other institutions, such as some credit unions, savings and loan associations and non-member banks, are not formally part of the FRS. However, they have access to the payment services it provides and are subject to many of the FRS regulations.

In 1958, because of the explosive growth of check usage, the American Bankers Association selected the E-13B MICR font and the MICR system as the technology for high-speed check processing. Today, check standards are determined by the Accredited Standards Committee X9AB Payments Subcommittee of which Source Technologies is a voting member. The latest versions of the standards and technical guidelines are available from:

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	MICR OVERVIEW \| 2

Hardcopy:	Softcopy:
Global Engineering Documents	X9 Electronic Bookstore
Phone 800-854-7179 or 303-397-7956	www.X9.org - click ESS
Fax 303-397-2740	www.ansi.org - click ESS
global@ihs.com	or
http://global.ihs.com	http://webstore.ansi.org

The key standards that address check documents are as follows:

ANS X9.7 Specifications for Bank Check Background and Convenience Amount Field ANS X9.100-160 Specifications for Placement and Location of MICR Printing

ANS X9.100-10 Paper Specifications for Checks

ANS X9.100-20 Print and Test Specifications for Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

For those with an interest or need there are also US standards that address Deposit Tickets, Check Endorsements (the back of the check), image interchange file formats, and other MICR areas.

Users of our Secure MICR Printers are not required to have access to the above standards. Our Technical Support staff maintains current knowledge of the standards and changes that affect the check industry in the US and other countries with unique requirements.

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ST9630 Secure MICR Printer User’s Guide

MICR Check Design | 3

3. MICR Check Design

General Features of Check Design

To be a legal and negotiable document, the necessary data elements required on a check are the date, amount, payee name, payer’s bank name, and payer’s signature.

Other elements included in a good check design are: the amount in words, account title, check serial number, fractional routing number and MICR line.

A good check design contains security features and is formatted to be easily read by both machines and the human eye. If the format is complicated, the depositor, bank employee or reader/sorter machine may make an error in reading the data.

Position and Dimension Gauge

A MICR position and dimension gauge, like the one available from Source Technologies (part number 205-1000MGE or 220-M1027-34, is an important tool for use in designing checks. During check design, check your output against this gauge to determine if the data elements (date, amount, payee name, payer’s bank name, and payer’s signature) are correctly positioned on your document.

Design Elements in Detail

Paper

The ideal paper for check production is 24 to 28 lb. laser bond. Source Technologies’ MICR lab has tested paper stock from most major manufacturers and has compiled a list of products that produce superior results. Contact your sales representative for this information. For a fee, Source Technologies will test your paper for proper MICR adherence and check reader/sorter performance. There are also many security features available to aid in the overall security of your MICR documents. Please refer to Chapter 5, Security Issues, for more information on check stock specifications and security features.

Size

The size of check documents must be: 6.00 inches to 8.75 inches in length 2.75 inches to 3.66 inches in height

We recommend standard 8.5" X 11" letter size stock or 8.5" X 14" legal size stock for proper feeding through your ST Secure MICR Printer. The number of checks per page is determined by your application. Custom size stock other than letter or legal can be done with proper planning and application programming within the paper size specifications for the base printer.

MICR Clear Band

The MICR clear band is an area at the bottom of the check where the MICR line prints. No other magnetic printing should appear in this area on both the front and back of the document. The clear band is an area 0.625 (5/8) inches high from the bottom of the check running the entire length of the check. Exact MICR line placement in this area is very important. Please refer to Figure 3.1 for more information on MICR line placement.

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ST9630 Secure MICR Printer User’s Guide

MICR Check Design | 3

Data Elements

Date

The date is a required data element for a check. It represents the day upon which or after which the transfer of the check amount may take place. The date is usually placed in the upper right portion of the check so it does not interfere with the convenience amount field. The common format is Month, Day and Year, however, the military format of Day, Month and Year is also acceptable.

Amount

The amount of the check is a required data element for negotiation. The amount usually appears at least twice on the check. The amount printed in numbers is called the convenience amount. The amount printed in words is sometimes referred to as the legal amount; this is the amount that applies if there is a difference between the two amount fields. The amount may also be printed a third time on the check in a secure font, intended to make alteration of the amount field difficult. Please refer to Chapter 6 and Appendix B for information on Source Technologies’ Secure Numeric Font.

Convenience Amount

The convenience amount location is specified in ANSI X9.7. The basic location is illustrated in Figure 3.1. Since this amount can be machine scanned, its location and design should be kept within the specifications. The amount beginning with the dollar sign should be left justified within the scan area with numbers spaced normally to the right. The dollars and cents should be separated by a decimal point with the cents printed in the same size font as the rest of the field. Embedded commas should not be used. The convenience amount background should have good reflectance so it does not interfere with optical scanning (see ANSI X9.7).

The convenience amount should be printed in a simple, fixed pitch font. We recommend our ICR Secure Numeric Font (see Appendix C). It was designed to be easily read by image capture equipment and is also a fraud deterrent. A fixed pitch courier font, or if available, OCR-B, are also acceptable fonts to print the convenience amount.

Note: The Source Technologies’ Secure Numeric Font (see Appendix B) should not be used in the convenience amount since it is not a machine readable font.

Amount in Words

The amount in words (sometimes called the legal amount) is normally located either above or below and to the left of the convenience amount. The area for the amount in words should be entirely filled to make alterations difficult. The amount should start at the far left of the line with the words placed immediately adjacent to each other. The cents need not be written out. They may be expressed as a fraction (60/100), and should be placed immediately to the right of the dollar amount and followed by a line or other space filler to inhibit alteration.

Example: One hundred forty-four and 62/100---------------		DOLLARS

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MICR Check Design | 3

Given the available area on the document, you may need to use a smaller font when printing larger value amounts.

Payee Area

The payee is a necessary data element for a negotiable document. The payee area is generally to the left side of the document either above or below the amount in words. It is often preceded by the words “Pay to the Order Of.” The payee data should not enter the MICR clear band which extends 5/8 of an inch above the bottom of the check. Some financial institutions have established specific print requirements for the Payee Name and optional address. Consult your bank for details on their print requirements.

Signature Area

A signature is a required data element for a negotiable document. The signature or signatures authorize the bank to honor the check; therefore, it must match the bank’s records. The signature area should be beneath the convenience amount area but the signatures should not enter the convenience amount area nor the MICR clear band. This is especially true if you print the signature with MICR toner.

Drawee Institution Name

The name of the institution where the maker’s account is located is referred to as the drawee institution. The bank’s name, city, and state are required.

Account Title

The account title is normally printed in the upper left corner of the check. It includes the name of the account holder and other information such as addresses, telephone numbers, and logos. The data in the title should be legible and sufficiently complete so that if the MICR data account number is destroyed, the drawee institution can refer to the account title in order to trace the account number.

Memo Line

This line is located in the lower left quadrant of the check, and is not required. Data printed here does not contain any legal significance. Printing in this area with magnetic toner should not extend downward into the MICR clear band which is 5/8 of an inch above the bottom of the check.

Check Serial Number

The check serial number is generally printed in the upper right quadrant of the check. Although the check number is not required for the check to be negotiable, the account holder and financial institution use these numbers to reconcile statements and execute stop payments. The check serial number should also appear a second time in the MICR line, and these numbers should match. The number of digits in the check serial number is controlled by the financial institution and the MICR line format. Consult your banking institution for their requirements.

Fractional Routing Number

The fractional routing number should be printed in a fractional format in the upper right quadrant of the check. This number is assigned to identify the Federal

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