User manual

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a return will position the next character below the beginning of the sentence as if it started with a double-sized
character. If this feature is not desired, skip the return character and send a row/column command to position
the next character where desired.
Note - Care must be used when using size modifiers and positioning commands. In most instances, the printer
will ignore all data sent outside the ticket boundaries as well as any data sent following an illegal positioning
command. In the latter case, the printer will normally ignore all remaining data until a valid command is sent.
However, in certain cases, the illegal data may end up being printed on either this or the following ticket. Always
check what is being sent to the printer if unexpected results occur.
Printer Default Settings
• Font type - Font3 (17x31 dot matrix)
• Character box size - 20x33 dot matrix
• Starting point - row 0,column 0
• Height - normal (1)
• Width - normal (1)
• Rotation - No rotation (NR)
• Ticket length - automatically calculated
• Printing length - equal to ticket length
• Bar code size - 4 units (32 dots)
• Dot row offset - 1 unit (8 rows)
These settings can be changed at any time (and in any combination) before printing a character or string of
characters. However, once changed, they will remain in effect until changed with a new command. The printer
will also return to the default settings for the start of a new ticket. Once a print command is sent, the printer
reverts back to the default settings so each new ticket must repeat any special command settings - they will not
be retained from the previous ticket.
INVERTED CHARACTERS
The Ghostwriter will print an inverted version of any character sent provided that the proper modifier has been
sent. An EI (enable inversion) command turns on the inverted mode. All subsequent data (except bar codes)
will be inverted until a DI (disable inversion) command is sent. An inverted character is simply a negative image
of the original. Caution should be exercised in using these modifiers because the whole ticket could be
blackened if the DI modifier is forgotten. In inverted mode, the printer will automatically add a black border
around the character to improve its readability. Therefore, an inverted character is actually slightly larger than a
normal character. This must be remembered when positioning characters beneath inverted characters with
row/column commands. It is recommended that a new row/column command be sent for the line following an
inverted one. If one is not sent, then the lines may be closer together than expected because of the increased
size of the inverted characters. (This feature is not presently available with soft fonts.)
BAR CODES
Code 39, Interleaved 2of 5, EAN13, EAN8, UPC, USS-Coda bar, Code 128 , Softstrip, PDF 417, Aztec, QR and
Data Matrix barcodes can be printed via the appropriate select codes. All can be printed in either ladder or
picket fence orientations. Ladder bar codes are printed along the width of the ticket and picket fence bar codes
are printed along the length of the ticket. Ladder bar codes can be printed top to bottom (RR) or bottom to top
(RL). Picket fence bar codes can be printed left to right (NR) or right to left (RU).
All bar codes should be selected by specifying the starting address, bar code size, orientation and type of bar
code. Most bar codes are built using bars 8 dots high and 1 dot wide. This is the minimum size of a bar (called
a unit dimension). The height of the bar can be changed in units of 8 using the bar code size command.
Therefore, the number used to select the bar code size represents the number of 8 dot high bars to be used to
construct the bar code. (A bar code size of three translates to a 24 dot high bar code.)
All bar codes can be expanded from their normal bar width of one dot by using the expanded (X) command.
The expanded command allows you to double, triple, etc., the length of the bar code. It does not affect the
height (size) of the bar code. Normally, on a 200 dpi head you should at least use the <X2> command, <X3> for
300 dpi.
There are two types of bar code select commands. Using uppercase letters to select a bar code type will allow
you to print bar codes in only two rotations, top to bottom and left to right. This command is to keep the
software downward compatible with older FGL printers. A new type of command using lowercase letters to
select bar code type has been added to the FGL44 language. This command allows the rotation commands to
be used to rotate bar codes in all four directions.