Instruction manual

Starting with a Design
Before you create a format packet, you must design your label. There are several steps to
designing a custom label:
1. Decide which fields should appear on your label. See “Determining Format Contents” for
more information.
2. Determine your label size. Labels are available from us in a wide variety of sizes. Your
application and the amount of data you need to print determines the supply size. Contact
your Sales Representative for more information.
3. Draw a rough sketch of your label. You may want to draw several variations to see what
works best. See “Drawing Rough Sketches” for more information.
4. Identify the field types that appear on your label. See “Considering Field Types” for more
information.
5. Decide which fonts you want to use. See “Considering Fonts” for more information.
6. Fill out your Format Worksheet. See “Using the Format Worksheet” for more information.
At this point, you are ready to use your format.
7. Create a format packet, based on how you filled out your worksheet. See Chapter 3,
“Defining Fields,” for more information.
Determining Format Contents
Before you lay out your format, answer these questions. How large is your supply, which fonts
do you want to use, do you want to include a bar code, and do you want to include graphics?
Determining the Print Area
The “bottom” is the edge that exits the printer first. The 0,0 point is at the bottom left corner of
the label. The print area varies, depending on the size of your supply. Below are the maximum
and minimum print areas. When designing formats, the following non-print zone is
recommended: 0.04 inches at the top and bottom of the label.
Unit of Measure Minimum Supply
Size (WxL)
Maximum Supply
Size (WxL)
Maximum Print
Area (WxL)
English (1/100") 25 x 75 425 x 1000 400 x 1000
Metric (1/10mm) 63 x 191 1080 x 2540 1016 x 2540
Dots (1/203 dots) 51 x 152 864 x 2030 812 x 2030
Dots (1/300 dots) 75 x 225 1275 x 2700 1200 x 2700
The minimum label feed length for peel mode is 0.75 inches (19 mm).
Note: For exact print area measurements of your supply, see the supply layout grids in
Appendix D, "Format Design Tools."
Use the following formulas to convert inches to dots and metric:
Dots = inches x 203 or (x 300 for 300 dpi)
Metric (1/10mm) = inches x 254
English (1/100 inch) = 100 x (dots/203) or (dots/300)
Dots = Metric (1/10 mm) x (799/1000) or (1181/1000)
300 dpi depends on your printer.
GETTING STARTED 1-3