Product Info
Table Of Contents
- SP_Info_Central.book
- SP Series Info Central
- What do you want to do?
- Answer questions you have about using the printer
- Learn how to use this online information
- Learn more about tasks, such as installation, setup, or maintenance
- Solve problems with printing
- Access an online version of the Printer Guide
- Open help for the Printer Toolbox and Messages
- Open help for Properties or Printing Preferences
- Safety and compliance (FCC)
- Acknowledgments
- SP Series Info Central
- SP_Install_e-guide.book
- Installation
- Before you install
- Install the printer
- Installing the driver
- Upgrading the driver
- Reinstalling the driver
- Troubleshooting Installation Problems
- PC port settings
- Connecting more than one printer or more than one PC
- On the CD-ROM
- Installation
- SP_Setup_e-guide.book
- Setting up for your card design
- How do I create a card design?
- What is a card design?
- When should I perform setup tasks?
- What do I use to set up the printer?
- Why are there several interfaces to set up the printer?
- Card design checklist
- Working with Properties and Printing Preferences
- Changing the type of print ribbon
- Set up for monochrome (K) printing
- Color settings
- Changing settings in the printer
- Magnetic Stripe Setup
- Smart card setup
- Setting up for your card design
- SP_Production_e-guide.book
- SP_Supplies_e-guide.book
- SP_Troubleshooting_e-guide.book
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SP Series Info Central: Setup Guide
Tips for success
• If you plan to use a custom magnetic stripe format, your service provider or value-added
reseller (VAR) must make changes to printer settings to set up a custom magnetic stripe
format. Follow the guidance of your service provider or VAR when using a custom magnetic
stripe format.
• Proprietary formats, used for applications such as driver’s licenses or hotels, can be used with
the SP Series printers. Obtain the guidance of your service provider or (VAR) when using
proprietary formats.
• On Windows 98 and Me, data formatted with magnetic stupe fonts or escape codes cannot be
located in rotated fields.
Magnetic stripe escapes
Customers have the ability to use magnetic stripe escape codes with the SmartDriver, version 5.0 and
higher, and the SP Series printer. Magnetic stripe escape codes are used by card printers from several
other manufacturers. To support existing custom applications, Datacard has implemented magnetic stripe
escapes. To use magnetic stripe escapes with the SmartDriver, a custom application must send data to the
driver, not directly to the printer. Magnetic stripe escapes can also be used when an application cannot
format magnetic stripe data and when the application does not allow you to select the SmartDriver’s
magnetic stripe fonts for formatting magnetic stripe data.
Magnetic stripe escapes are most commonly used for the IAT format, which encodes IATA (International
Air Transport Association) data on Track 1, ABA (American Banker’s Association) data on Track 2, and
TTS (Thrift Third Shift) data on Track 3. Other card printer manufacturers sometimes refer to this format as
ISO format. Using information in this section, you can also use magnetic stripe escapes to encode
variations to the IAT format.
Proprietary Three-Track (IAT) ID Works Printer Use printer
settings
Yes
Magnetic Stripe Fonts Driver Use printer
settings
Yes
Custom Application Application Use printer
settings
Yes
Custom Three-Track (IAT)
Single Track (NTT)
Custom Application Application Binary or
Use printer
settings
Optional
Magnetic Stripe Fonts
(includes Preface)
-- Binary or
Use printer
settings
Optional
Binary Three-Track (IAT) ID Works ID Works Binary No
Custom Application Application Binary No
Format
Printer
Module
Data formatted by Data verified by
Driver format
setting
Use
Diagnostics?