Specifications

Chapter 5— Advanced Printer Programming
IPL Programmer’s Reference Manual 51
• Purchase additional memory. Please contact your Intermec
representative for information on purchasing additional memory for
your printer model.
Increasing Throughput
Note: This section does not apply to the EasyCoder F4, PF2i, PF4i, or
PM4i.
To print labels as quickly as possible, you must adjust the print speed in
conjunction with the number of image bands (one image band equals 2.54
cm (1 in) of label). The print speed and image band settings determine the
rate at which the printer processes the images of your labels, which affects
the throughput of the entire printing process.
When the printer receives the command to select a format, <ESC>E, it
immediately begins imaging the label; as a result, the imaging process is
better able to keep up with the print speed and throughput improves. If
the number of image bands is too low, however, the imaging process is
unable to keep up with the print speed, and the printer stops printing and
restarts at the lowest print speed with the maximum number of image
bands. If the image band command is set too high, the printer spends
more time than necessary imaging, and label production is slowed.
What Is an Image Band?
An image band is a section of memory where a picture of a label format is
drawn. This drawing process is known as imaging. Once the picture is
imaged, the printer loads the picture from the image bands to the
printhead for printing. Each image band is equal to 2.54 cm (1 in) of
length of the label format. The number of image bands you use may be
less than the length of the label being printed. The number of image bands
(in inches) does not have to equal the length of the label since the printer
recycles the image bands. Once the contents of an image band have been
printed, it may be reused to image the next section of the label.
Keep in mind that the more complex the label, the longer it will take to
image each section, thus requiring a slower print speed. To use a higher
print speed, use more image bands to allow more of the imaging process to
complete before printing begins.
It is possible to reduce the amount of time necessary to download and
image a graphic by using Direct Graphics mode. In Direct Graphics mode,
the printer images a graphic directly into the image bands without storing
it in the printer. For help, see Appendix E, “Using Direct Graphics
Mode.”