Instruction manual

Using Parallel Communications
If your printer supports parallel communications, the parallel port is Centronics® mode. The
communication settings are automatically configured for you. There are no operator settings
required.
We recommend waiting at least two seconds (or longer) when switching between the serial and
parallel ports to send data, because data may be lost. Be careful when using print spoolers,
because data transmission occurs in the background of the operating system. This makes data
transmission completion difficult to determine when switching between ports.
Using MPCLII Conventions
Here are some guidelines to follow when using MPCLII.
MPCLII Punctuation
Use the following symbols when creating MPCLII packets:
Character Decimal
Value
Description
{ (left bracket) 123 start of header
} (right bracket) 125 end of header
p (vertical bar) 124 field separator*
, (comma) 044 parameter separator
“ABC”
(quotation marks)
034 Quotation marks enclose character strings. Empty quotes (“”) identify null strings or unused
fields.
'comment'
(single quotation
marks)
039 Grave accents enclose comments. Any data enclosed in grave accents is ignored. Do not
embed comments within a quoted string. Grave accents are also used to reject mainframe
data.
* The field separator is the split vertical bar, which we are representing as p in this manual. The decimal value is 124. To enter
this character, use the Shift key plus the Split Vertical Bar key on your computer’s keyboard. Depending on your text editor, it
may appear as a solid vertical bar or as a split vertical bar.
Note: These MPCL characters are the default.
Standard Syntax Guidelines
When creating MPCLII packets:
¨ Begin each packet with a start of header ({).
¨ End each packet with an end of header (}).
¨ Define no more than1000 fields in a format. Each p indicates one field. However, options
are not counted as fields. The actual number of fields a format can have may be less,
because the number of fields is limited by the available memory.
¨ The field number (0 to 999) must be unique. We recommend starting at 1, instead of 0.
¨ Do not use a field number more than once per format.
¨ Define all fields in the order you want to image/print them. The printer does not print in field
number order.
¨ Separate all parameters with a Parameter Separator (,).
¨ End each field with a Field Separator ( p ).
¨ Enter all information in CAPITAL letters, except words or phrases within quotation marks.
2-2 CONFIGURING THE PRINTER