Technical data
Table Of Contents
- 0. i Cover B
- 0. i Copyright B
- 0. i TOC B
- 1. i Introduction B
- 2. i Programming Concepts B
- 3. i Code Quick Reference B.backup
- 4. i Standard Command Codes B
- 5. i Optional Command Codes B
- 6. i Bi-Directional Communications B
- 7. i Appendix B
- 7
- appendix
- custom graphics
- CUSTOM GRAPHICS EXAMPLE
- 1. Determine the matrix size for the graphic. It must be in 8 dot by 8 dot blocks. The example here has six blocks horizontally and six blocks vertically (48 x 48).
- 2. Lay out a grid and draw the image on the grid.
- 3. Transfer the image into a bit map representation and then into hexadecimal format:
- 4. Using the hexadecimal data, send the following code to print the graphic image as designed.
- 5. To send the data in binary format, the software must convert the data into binary format before transmitting it to the printer. Using the BASIC programming language for example, this is done by notation “CHR$ (&HC0)” which sends the hexidecima...
- PCX GRAPHICS EXAMPLE
- CUSTOM GRAPHICS EXAMPLE
- printer configuration commands
- reference tables
Unit 1: Introduction
“i” Programming Reference
1-3 PN: 9001158B
PRINT AREA CALCULATION
Many print applications may not require labels that fill the entire printable area of the printer. Therefore it is
important to understand how to calculate print size so that the printed image does not exceed the label size.
There are two axis to consider when calculating for print position; horizontal and vertical. The horizontal axis is
lateral positioning parallel with the print head and is measured from the right side of the media to the left. The
vertical axis is the label length from the front to its rear.
This juncture point of the horizontal and vertical axis is referred to as the Base Reference Point (or zero point) and
all measurement is incremental along those axis from there. The allowable ranges for these references are
dependent on the particular printer to accommodate different print widths and resolutions.
A1 COMMAND
The A1 command is the prefered method of configuring the printer for media size. If using media smaller than the
print head width, use this command to specify the media size and adjust the start position corresponding to that.
The backing paper must be included in media size considerations. This command would be as follows:
<A1>aaaaabbbb
a = Height of Label
b = Width of Label
A3 COMMAND
Before beginning to send code, one must perform some simple calculations to determine print positioning. Firstly,
determine the print resolution and maximum print width of the printer. This information is provided in the Technical
Data unit of the Operator Manual and Service Manuals.
The print resolution of the print head has a direct bearing on the “dots per inch” (DPI) of print density. The
corresponding formula for a 203 Resolution print head on a printer with 4.1 Maximum Print Width would be:
Resolution (DPI) x Maximum Printable Width (Linear Inches) =
Maximum Printable Width (Linear Dots)
203 (DPI) x 4.1 (Linear Inches) = 832 (Linear Dots)
Once this is done, one must calculate the label width in linear dots. That formula would be as follows for a 2 inch
wide label:
Resolution (DPI) x Label Width (Linear Inches) =
Label Width (Linear Dots)
203 (DPI) x 2.0 (Linear Inches) = 406 (Linear Dots)
Lastly, one must calculate the horizontal distance to offset printing to accommodate the difference in size from the
printer’s maximum printable width to the label width. That formula would be as follows using the above examples:
Maximum Printable Width (Linear Dots) - Label Width (Linear Dots) =
Print Offset (Linear Dots)
832 (Linear Dots) - 406 (Linear Dots) = 426 (Linear Dots)
In the above example, 426 would be the required command entry to reset the initial base reference point (or zero
point) to the new base reference point (or zero point) based on the label’s width.
Note that with each additional horizontal or vertical adjustment, the New Base Reference Point will always be
positioned relative to the last base reference point - not the Initial Base Reference Point. In other words, the only
way to return to the Initial Base Reference Point is to ensure that you send commands that represent your desired
reference point.
NOTE: The valid ranges for each of the above may be found in the product
manuals.