User Manual
Table Of Contents
- Setting up for your card design
- Card design checklist
- Working with Properties and Printing Preferences
- Tips for Properties and Printing Preferences
- Properties for Windows Me & 98
- Use the Properties dialog box
- 1 Select Start from the Windows task bar.
- 2 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers. The Printers window appears.
- 3 Click once on the SmartDriver icon.
- 4 Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Properties. The SmartDriver Properties dialog box appears.
- 5 Select the tab with the information to view or change.
- 6 If you make changes, click Apply to save the settings. When you are done, click OK to close the dialog box. If you do not want to make changes, click Cancel to close the Properties dialog box.
- Use the Properties dialog box
- Properties & Printing Preferences for Windows 2000 & XP
- Use the Properties dialog box
- 1 Select Start from the Windows 2000 or XP task bar.
- 2 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers (2000) or Printers and Faxes (XP). The Printers (and Faxes) window appears.
- 3 Click once on the SmartDriver icon.
- 4 Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Properties. The SmartDriver Properties dialog box appears.
- 5 Select the tab that contains the information you want to view or change.
- 6 If you make changes, click OK to save the settings and close the dialog box. If you do not want to make changes, click Cancel to close the Properties dialog box.
- 7 If you change the port or change the printer name, reboot the PC before printing.
- Use the Printing Preferences dialog box
- 1 Select Start from the Windows 2000 or XP task bar.
- 2 From the Windows Start menu, select Settings and then Printers (2000) or Printers and Faxes (XP). The Printers (and Faxes) window appears.
- 3 Click once on the SmartDriver icon.
- 4 Select File from the Printers menu bar, and then select Printing Preferences. The SmartDriver Printing Preferences dialog box appears.
- 5 View or change settings.
- 6 If you make changes, click OK on each dialog box to save the settings and close the dialog box. If you do not want to make changes, click Cancel to close the Advanced and Printing Preferences dialog boxes.
- Set up for monochrome (K) printing
- Color settings
- Changing the color settings
- Open the Color Settings page
- What should I do before changing color settings?
- 1 Set up your card design, using your card creation application. Make sure that you use all the data you plan to print in the design, such as a logo, a photo, text, and a barcode. You can use one sample card or a set (batch) of sample cards.
- 2 If you use photos, choose one or more photos that are similar to all the photos you plan to use.
- 3 Determine the priority and requirements for changing color settings. Color settings affect the complete card and cannot be used to change just one part of the card.
- 4 Consider the use of a graphics application to change one part of a card if needed. For example, if the color of the logo is not acceptable when the appearance of photos is best, consider changing the color of the logo using a graphics application.
- 5 Load the cards you plan to use in the card cartridge. Card stock can have a big impact on the appearance of printed cards.
- 6 Make one or more sample cards with the current settings. The card provides a way to record current settings and to evaluate the effect of changed settings. Do one of the following:
- 7 Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card(s) with a 1 and the date. If you printed the sample card from the Color Settings tab, the current settings are printed on the card. If you printed the sample card from the card creation ap...
- How do I choose the correct order for changing color settings?
- 1 First, decide whether you want to use the printer’s color profile. The printer’s color profile assumes colors on the cards are adjusted from the input device to the Windows default profile, and adjusts from the Windows profile to the printe...
- 2 Change the Brightness setting, if needed.
- 3 Change the Contrast setting, if needed.
- 4 Change the Sharpness setting, if needed.
- 5 Change the Color Balance settings, if needed.
- How do I make photos brighter?
- 1 After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Brightness box.
- 2 Drag the slider to the new position.
- 3 Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
- 4 If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
- 5 Print a sample card, using the same method as you used in What should I do before changing color settings?
- 6 Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
- 7 Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
- 8 Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
- How do I change the contrast?
- 1 After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Contrast box.
- 2 Drag the pointer to the new position. Move to the right to increase the contrast.
- 3 Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
- 4 If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
- 5 Print a sample card. (Use the same method as you used in What should I do before changing color settings?.)
- 6 Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
- 7 Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
- 8 Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
- How do I make the dark colors darker and the light colors lighter?
- 1 After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Contrast box.
- 2 Drag the slider to the new position. Move it to the right to increase the difference between light and dark colors.
- 3 Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
- 4 If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
- 5 Print a sample card, using the same method as you used previously.
- 6 Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
- 7 Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
- 8 Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
- How do I make the printed cards less fuzzy?
- 1 After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Sharpness box.
- 2 Drag the slider to the new position. Drag the slider to the right to increase sharpness.
- 3 Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
- 4 If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
- 5 Print a sample card, using the same method as you used previously.
- 6 Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
- 7 Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
- 8 Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
- How do I improve the color of my logo?
- 1 Evaluate the problem, such as “The logo has a yellow cast” or “The logo is reddish.”
- 2 After making a sample card, click on the pointer for the color that is a problem.
- 3 Drag the pointer to the new position.
- 4 If changing the color that appears to be a problem does not fix the situation, try changing the other two colors. For example, if the logo is too red, try changing green and blue to bring red into balance.
- 5 Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
- 6 If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
- 7 Print a sample card, using the same method as you used previously.
- 8 Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
- 9 Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
- 10 Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
- How do I make my photo colors more lifelike?
- 1 After making a sample card, click on the pointer in the Contrast box.
- 2 Drag the slider to the new position.
- 3 Wait a moment while the Color Image Preview changes to show the effect of the new setting.
- 4 If preview shows the change you want, click the Apply Changes button. If not, return to step 2.
- 5 Print a sample card, using the same method as you used previously.
- 6 Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps).
- 7 Evaluate the appearance of the sample card(s).
- 8 Repeat these steps until the sample cards meet your requirements.
- How do I undo color changes?
- How do I use a different color profile?
- 1 Make a sample card. The card provides a way to record current settings and to evaluate the effect of changed settings. Do one of the following:
- 2 Open the Printer Toolbox.
- 3 Click the Color Settings tab and make sure the Match Monitor setting is clear.
- 4 Click the Apply Changes button.
- 5 Print a sample card. (Use the same method as you used in step 1.)
- 6 Use a permanent marker to mark the back of the card with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps) and “Uncheck Match Monitor.”
- 7 Use the Color Management Tab of the Printer Properties dialog box to load a color profile. See Windows Help for more information.
- 8 Continue with changing any other color settings.
- Changing the color settings
- Changing settings in the printer
- Tips for success
- Process for changing settings
- Materials to use
- Suggested process
- 1 Make sure the printer is powered on and is directly connected to the PC.
- 2 Save or record printer values.
- 3 Identify the setting to change and the result you want. (Stating the desired result in a measurable way can help you identify when you have met your goal.)
- 4 Make a test card (or sample card) and record the current values for the setting to change. Also record the date and sequence number (beginning with 1). Use the same card at each step.
- 5 Change the setting and apply the change.
- 6 Make another test card. Record the new setting and sequence number.
- 7 Evaluate the result on the test card.
- Record printer values
- 1 Make sure the Printer Toolbox is open. Double-click on the icon in the system tray.
- 2 Select the Advanced Setup button on the Printer Toolbox.
- 3 Click the Printer Values tab to display the Printer Values page.
- 4 Click the Save as button.
- 5 Select a file location for saving the file.
- 6 Type in a file name that includes the printer name and today’s date, for example “SP35_011003.” Windows adds the .txt extension.
- 7 Click OK. The values are saved to the file.
- Change printing intensity
- 1 Make sure the Printer Toolbox is open. Double-click on the icon in the system tray.
- 2 Select the Advanced Setup button on the Printer Toolbox.
- 3 Click the Printhead tab to display the Printhead page.
- 4 Click the Printer Test Card button to print a test card that serves as a baseline for the changes you make.
- 5 Mark the back of the test card with “1” and the intensity setting that you plan to change. For example, mark it “1-K 0” if you plan to change the intensity for black (K) and the current value is 0.
- 6 To change the printhead intensity:
- 7 Select the Printer Test Card button.
- 8 Mark the card on the back with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps) and the new settings (such as K -20 for K intensity).
- 9 Evaluate the result as shown on the printed card.
- 10 When you are done running Advanced Setup, select the Status tab and then the Quit Diagnostics button to enable printing.
- Change the position of printing
- Tips for success
- 1 Make sure the Printer Toolbox is open. Double-click on the icon in the system tray if needed.
- 2 Select the Advanced Setup button on the Printer Toolbox.
- 3 Click the Printhead tab to display the Printhead page.
- 4 Click the Printer Test Card button to print a test card that serves as a baseline for the changes you make.
- 5 Mark the back of the test card with “1.” Also mark the position change you plan to make. Finally, mark the current print position values, such as 5/190 for the Up/Down and Left/Right positions.
- 6 Select the slider for the position you want to change, and then move it in the selected direction. The right edge of the card, as shown by the icons in the position printing box, is printed first.
- 7 Select the Apply Changes button to make the values take effect in the printer, OR select the Cancel Changes button to return to the values displayed before you used the slider.
- 8 Select the Printer Test Card button.
- 9 Mark the card on the back with a 2 (or the next number if repeating these steps) and the new settings (such as -5 for 5 steps up).
- 10 Evaluate the result as shown on the printed card.
- 11 When you are done running Advanced Setup, select the Status tab and then the Quit Advanced Setup button to enable printing.
- Tips for success
- Magnetic Stripe Setup
- Smart card setup
- Requirements
- Hardware set up
- Obtaining USB smart card support files
- 1 Navigate to the support area of the GemPlus Web site at support.gemplus.com.
- 2 Select the downloads area for PC-Link readers.
- 3 Select the GemPC430 reader.
- 4 Select the operating system used by the PC.
- 5 From the list of downloadable files, select the “Readers Installer” choice: it contains drivers and files to install the smart card support. At the time of publication, the file was named Gemplus-PC/SC Readers Installer_V2.6.1.zip. This fil...
- 6 After downloading the file, extract the contents of the ZIP file.
- 7 Start the RDRInstaller.exe file.
- 8 Select the 430 reader and the Install command. Use the installation utility to install the smart card module support. Plug in the USB cable when the utility prompts.
- 9 If you want to verify smart card installation, you can use the Gemplus SmartDiag utility, which is also available from the GemPlus web site.
- Tips for success
- Connecting an optional smart card cable
- Tips for success
- 1 Connect a serial cable to the printer port if a contactless (680) smart card module or a contact station (CS) is installed in the printer.
- 2 Connect a USB cable to the printer port if a contact (430) module is installed in the printer.
- 3 Use two smart card cables if both ports are installed on the printer (the smart card module contains both contactless (680) and contact (430) couplers).
- 4 Connect the other end of the smart card cable(s) to the appropriate port on the PC. For the USB cable, the installer utility will tell you when to connect the cable.
- Tips for success
- Obtaining USB smart card support files
26
SP35 Info Central
Tips for success
• Your service provider or value-added reseller (VAR) must participate in setting up a custom
magnetic stripe format. Obtain the guidance of your service provider or (VAR) when using
Diagnostics to set up magnetic stripe encoding.
• Proprietary formats, used for applications such as driver’s licenses or hotels, can be used with
the SP35 printer. Obtain the guidance of your service provider or (VAR) when using proprietary
formats.
• See the Release Notes file for the operating system you use to identify any limitations that
might apply to magnetic stripe encoding.
• On Windows 98 and Me, data formatted with magnetic stipe fonts or escape codes cannot be
located in rotated fields.
Using magnetic stripe escape codes
To support existing custom applications, Datacard allows use of escape codes for magnetic stripe data that
uses the IAT format. Escape codes are used by several other card printers and applications written to use
those printers can use escape codes with printers that use the SmartDriver. In addition, if you use an
application that does not allow you to select fonts, you can use escape codes to encode magnetic stripe
data. The Eltron format is the simplest format to use.
Binary IAT (three track)
J (single track)
ID Works ID Works Binary No
Custom Application Application Binary No
Printer
Manufacturer
Encoding
Format
Syntax Example
Eltron IAT (ISO) ~<track#><data> ~1ENCODING WITH ESCAPES
~21234567890
~31234567890
Atlantek IAT (ISO) ~<track#>=<data> ~1=ENCODING WITH ESCAPES
~2=1234567890
~3=1234567890
Fargo IAT (ISO) ~<track#>(Start Sentinel><Data>
<End Sentinel>
~1%ENCODING WITH ESCAPES?
~2;1234567890?
~3;1234567890?
Datacard HiFX IAT (ISO) ~<track#>(Start Sentinel><Data>
<End Sentinel>
~1%ENCODING WITH ESCAPES?
~2;1234567890?
#
~3;1234567890?
#
#. Only the default start sentinel, a semicolon (;), is permitted.
Victor Data
Systems
IAT (ISO) ~<track#>(Start Sentinel><Data>
<End Sentinel>
~1%ENCODING WITH ESCAPES?
~2;1234567890?
#
~3;1234567890?
#
Format
Printer
Module
Data formatted by Data verified by
Driver format
setting
Use
Diagnostics?