Cognitive Programming

Language (CPL)

Programmer's Guide
105-008-02 Revision C2 – 3/17/2006
*105-008-02*
Copyright © 2006, Cognitive.

Cognitive™, Cxi™, and Ci™ are trademarks of Cognitive. Microsoft® and Windows™ are
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Other product and corporate names used in this
document may be trademarks or registered trademarks of other companies, and are used only
for explanation and to their owner’s benefit, without intent to infringe.

All information in this document is subject to change without notice, and does not represent a
commitment on the part of Cognitive. No part of this document may be reproduced for any
reason or in any form, including electronic storage and retrieval, without the express
permission of Cognitive. All program listings in this document are copyrighted and are the
property of Cognitive and are provided without warranty.

To contact Cognitive:

Cognitive Solutions, Inc.

4403 Table Mountain Drive
Suite A
Golden, CO 80403

E-Mail: info@cognitive.com

Telephone: +1.800.525.2785

Fax: +1.303.273.1414
 Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................. 1
Label Format Organization .................................................................. 2
Command Syntax ................................................................................ 2
Important Programming Rules............................................................. 3
Related Publications............................................................................ 4
Printer Command Compatibility ............................................................. 5
Printer Models ..................................................................................... 5
Compatibility Tables ............................................................................ 6
Table 1. Printer Command Compatibility....................................... 6
Table 2. Printer Bar Code Support .............................................. 12
Table 3. Printer Font Support...................................................... 14
Standard Printer Commands ................................................................ 17
Standard Printer Command List ........................................................ 17
ADJUST ...................................................................................... 18
ADJUST_DUP ............................................................................ 20
AREA_CLEAR ............................................................................ 21
BARCODE .................................................................................. 22
BARCODE_FONT....................................................................... 27
BARCODE PDF417 .................................................................... 29
BARCODE PDF417 .................................................................... 30
BARCODE UPS .......................................................................... 34
COMMENT ................................................................................. 38
DOUBLE ..................................................................................... 39
DRAW_BOX ............................................................................... 40
END ............................................................................................ 42
FILL_BOX ................................................................................... 43
GRAPHIC.................................................................................... 45
Graphics mode............................................................................ 47
HALT........................................................................................... 50
Header line.................................................................................. 51
INDEX ......................................................................................... 55
JUSTIFY ..................................................................................... 56
LOGO mode................................................................................ 58
MULTIPLE .................................................................................. 60
NOINDEX.................................................................................... 62
 PITCH ......................................................................................... 63
QUANTITY .................................................................................. 65
QUERY FIRMWARE REVISION................................................. 66
QUERY PRINTER STATUS........................................................ 67
Status Query Response Messages............................................. 68
ROTATE R90, R180, R270 ......................................................... 72
STRING....................................................................................... 74
TEXT ........................................................................................... 78
TIME ........................................................................................... 81
Universal Clear............................................................................ 86
ULTRA_FONT............................................................................. 87
Wake-up string ............................................................................ 90
WIDTH ........................................................................................ 92
Storing Data in the Printer Memory ...................................................... 95
Before Using Data Storage Commands............................................. 95
Data Storage Commands .................................................................. 96
Delete Stored Object ................................................................... 97
Format Recall.............................................................................. 98
Format Store ............................................................................... 99
GRAPHIC STORE .................................................................... 103
RECALL GRAPHIC ................................................................... 103
Initialize Storage........................................................................ 105
List Stored Objects.................................................................... 106
DELIMIT .................................................................................... 107
DEFINE VARIABLE .................................................................. 108
Recall Menu .............................................................................. 113
Recall Variable .......................................................................... 114
Menu Commands ................................................................................. 115
Menu Operation............................................................................... 115
Menu Programming ......................................................................... 117
Menu Command List........................................................................ 118
MENU ACTION ......................................................................... 119
MENU CONTROL ..................................................................... 122
MENU END ............................................................................... 124
MENU EXIT............................................................................... 125
MENU ITEM .............................................................................. 126
MENU MESSAGE ..................................................................... 128
MENU START........................................................................... 129
Recall Menu .............................................................................. 131
Printer Setup (VARIABLE) Commands .............................................. 133
Variable Command Rules................................................................ 133
Variable Command List ................................................................... 135
VARIABLE ALLOCATE............................................................. 136
VARIABLE AUTOCUT .............................................................. 137
VARIABLE AUXPOWER........................................................... 138
VARIABLE BACKLIGHT ........................................................... 139
VARIABLE BEEPER ................................................................. 140
VARIABLE BUFFER_TIMED_RESET ...................................... 141
VARIABLE COMM .................................................................... 143
VARIABLE CONTRAST............................................................ 144
VARIABLE DARKNESS............................................................ 146
VARIABLE ENERGY ................................................................ 148
VARIABLE FEED_TYPE........................................................... 149
VARIABLE HIGHSPEED .......................................................... 150
VARIABLE INDEX..................................................................... 152
VARIABLE INDEX SETTING .................................................... 153
VARIABLE IRDA ....................................................................... 156
VARIABLE IRDA COMM........................................................... 157
VARIABLE IRDA PROTOCOL.................................................. 158
VARIABLE LOWSPEED ........................................................... 159
VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST .................................................... 160
VARIABLE MODE..................................................................... 164
VARIABLE NO_MEDIA............................................................. 166
VARIABLE NORMAL ................................................................ 167
VARIABLE OFF AFTER............................................................ 168
VARIABLES ON/OFF................................................................ 169
VARIABLE PITCH..................................................................... 170
VARIABLE POSITION .............................................................. 171
VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL ................................................... 172
VARIABLE PRINT_MODE ........................................................ 175
VARIABLE READ...................................................................... 176
VARIABLE RECALIBRATE....................................................... 177
VARIABLE REPORT_LEVEL ................................................... 178
VARIABLE RESET.................................................................... 179
VARIABLE SLEEP_AFTER ...................................................... 180
VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT ........................................................... 181
VARIABLE TEXT BUFFER ....................................................... 182
VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK ................................................ 184
VARIABLE WIDTH.................................................................... 185
VARIABLE WRITE .................................................................... 186
 PROMPTS ................................................................................ 188
DATASKIP ................................................................................ 189
Using VARIABLE Commands ............................................................. 191
Blazer Compatibility ......................................................................... 192
Setting DT or TT Print Method......................................................... 193
Setting Bar or Gap Index Type ........................................................ 194
Optimizing Index Detection.............................................................. 194
Direct Thermal Printing.............................................................. 194
Thermal Transfer Printing with Standard Wax Ribbon .............. 195
Thermal Transfer Printing with Resin Ribbon............................ 195
Automatic Detect....................................................................... 195
Calibrate the Index .................................................................... 196
Setting Print Width........................................................................... 196
RFID Commands .................................................................................. 197
Programming Overview ................................................................... 197
Programming Rules .................................................................. 198
RFID Command Name Structure .............................................. 198
RFID Command Structure Example.......................................... 199
RFID Commands ............................................................................. 200
RF ID_GET ............................................................................... 201
RF HOST .................................................................................. 202
RF VAR_CLEAR ....................................................................... 203
RT ............................................................................................. 204
WT ............................................................................................ 205
WTLOCK................................................................................... 206
RF_TYPE .................................................................................. 208
RF_IDNUM................................................................................ 209
RF_BLKSZ ................................................................................ 210
RF LOCATION .......................................................................... 211
!RFID ?...................................................................................... 212
!RFID CONFIRM ....................................................................... 213
!RFID HOST.............................................................................. 214
!RFID LEDFLSH........................................................................ 215
!RFID LEDTIME ........................................................................ 216
!RFID MARK ............................................................................. 217
!RFID RDAFTWT ...................................................................... 218
!RFID RETRY............................................................................ 219
!RFID SSONCMD ..................................................................... 220
!RFID TAGTYPE ....................................................................... 221
!RFID TIMEOUT........................................................................ 222
 !RFID TXAFTER ....................................................................... 224
!RFID VOID............................................................................... 225
Ethernet Printer Information ............................................................... 227
Ethernet Interface ............................................................................ 227
Ethernet Link Indicator .............................................................. 227
Ethernet Connector ................................................................... 227
Physical Address ...................................................................... 227
Network Protocols ..................................................................... 228
Network Applications................................................................. 228
LPD ........................................................................................... 228
TFTP ......................................................................................... 228
RTEL......................................................................................... 228
TELNET .................................................................................... 228
BOOTP ..................................................................................... 229
DHCP........................................................................................ 229
Printer Configuration........................................................................ 230
Configuration Options ............................................................... 230
Manual Configuration ................................................................ 230
Operation......................................................................................... 231
Self Test.................................................................................... 231
Variable Commands ........................................................................ 232
Ethernet Variable Commands ......................................................... 233
VARIABLE ETHERNET BOOTP............................................... 234
VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP ................................................. 235
VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT....................................... 236
VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS................................. 237
VARIABLE ETHERNET FIRMWARE........................................ 238
VARIABLE ETHERNET GATEWAY ......................................... 239
VARIABLE ETHERNET JOBSOKINERROR ............................ 240
VARIABLE ETHERNET LPD .................................................... 241
VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET.............................................. 242
VARIABLE ETHERNET IP........................................................ 243
VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET ............................................... 244
VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET COMMUNITY ........................ 245
VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL .................................................. 246
VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL PORT ....................................... 247
VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL TIMEOUT ................................. 248
VARIABLE ETHERNET TEXT BUFFER................................... 249
VARIABLE ETHERNET NETMASK .......................................... 250
VARIABLE ETHERNET SERVER............................................. 251
Bar Code Information .......................................................................... 253
Uniform Product Code (UPC) .......................................................... 253
I2OF5 AND D2OF5 ......................................................................... 254
CODE39 and CODE39+.................................................................. 254
CODE93 .......................................................................................... 254
EAN, EAN8, and EAN13.................................................................. 255
ADD2, ADD5 ................................................................................... 255
CODABAR....................................................................................... 255
PLESSEY AND MSI1 ...................................................................... 256
MAXICODE ..................................................................................... 256
PDF417 ........................................................................................... 256
POSTNET........................................................................................ 257
CODE128 A, B, C............................................................................ 258
CODE16K........................................................................................ 260
Media Tips and Tricks.......................................................................... 261
Label/tag Size and Shape................................................................ 261
Adhesives ........................................................................................ 262
Print Method (Direct Thermal or Thermal Transfer) ......................... 262
Cut Type (Butt Cut, Gap Cut, or Continuous Form)......................... 263
Media Sensitivity.............................................................................. 264
Troubleshooting................................................................................... 265
Common Issues............................................................................... 267
Graphics Programming Issues ........................................................ 275
 Chapter

1
Introduction
Bar code printers are programmable devices. Most Cognitive Solutions
printers use the same command language, which has become an
industry standard.

NOTE: Pinnacle printers are an exception. The information in this file is not
applicable to Pinnacle. If you are programming a Pinnacle printer, contact our
Sales Department and order a copy of the Pinnacle Programmer’s Guide, CSI
P/N 10-00-0133.

In typical label printing applications, you will use simple ASCII

commands to control the printer. You will write these commands in files
called label formats. When sent to the printer, each label format tells
the printer how to produce one or more labels.

One label format can print many similar labels. Label formats may be
sent to the printer individually or in batches, in multiple file uploads.
You may combine several different ASCII label formats in a single file,
with each format capable of producing a different label.

This document describes the ASCII and graphics commands used to

create label formats, stored objects, and menus, as well as the
VARIABLE commands used to configure the printer.

IMPORTANT: If you are using Microsoft Windows and preparing and printing
label formats directly from Notepad or another Windows-based program, be
aware that most Windows printer drivers will not work with Cognitive printers.
The "generic ASCII" printer driver (supplied with Windows) will pass ASCII
label formats to the printer without interference. Please install and use this
driver when sending ASCII label formats to the printer from the Windows
environment. Do not use the Cognitive Windows Driver when sending ASCII
formats to the printer. The Cognitive Windows Driver converts Windows
documents to ASCII label formats; thus, your label formats will print as they
appear in the text editor rather than directly control the printer as intended.

Copyright © 2006, Cognitive. 1

 I N T R O D U C T I O N

Label Format Organization

With a few exceptions that are noted in the command descriptions,
every label format contains:

• A header line, which defines the overall label characteristics.

• One or more printer commands.
• An END statement, which tells the printer that it has received
all required data.
Here is a typical label format:
! 0 100 190 3
PITCH 100
BARCODE UPCA+ 20 75 70 19112610203
END
This label format would print a UPCA bar code on a label.

Command Syntax
Cognitive printers will accept most commands in either an explicit
(long) or implicit (abbreviated) form. Both command forms, where
supported, are shown in the command descriptions. The command
descriptions use the following format:

Command
Function The purpose of the command is described here.

Explicit Form Command parameters.

Implicit Form Command parameters.

Parameters Any optional or required command parameters are

described here.
Comments Any additional comments relating to use of the
command are noted here.

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 I N T R O D U C T I O N

Example Sample program code is included here showing

proper use of the command.

NOTE: The sample code shown does not always include

all the lines in the label format that produced the sample
label. Header lines, END statements and the like are often
omitted to save space.

Also, the label images shown only illustrate the features or

command under discussion. They are not to scale. The
labels your printer produces using the sample code will
differ considerably from the label images in this document.

Important Programming Rules

Use blank spaces exactly as shown in the command descriptions. Blank
spaces are the delimiters between parameters. Omitting a necessary
space may cause incorrect label printing.

Do not send extraneous control characters to the printer.

End every command line with a line feed or a carriage return and line
feed. If you create labels using a word processor, confirm that your
system uses "hard" carriage returns (inserts ASCII characters 10 and 13
at the end of each line).

Begin every label format with a header line. End every format with an
END statement, unless otherwise noted in the command descriptions. (A
few commands are "stand alone" and should not be followed by an END
statement or any other commands.)

Not all printers support all commands, and there may be some variation
in command use depending on the printer model. Review your printer's
User's Guide and the compatibility information in Tables 1, 2, and 3
before you begin writing label formats or software.

Copyright © 2006, Cognitive. 3

 I N T R O D U C T I O N

Related Publications
Every printer has a User's Guide, which covers hardware issues like
installation, setup, and troubleshooting. We strongly recommend that
you familiarize yourself with your User's Guide before attempting to
program the printer.

We also recommend the following books for readers desiring more

information about bar code technology in general:

• The Bar Code Book by Roger C. Palmer (Helmers Publishing,

Inc., 174 Concord Street, Peterborough, NH 03458)
• Reading Between the Lines by Craig Harmon and Russ
Adams (Helmers Publishing, Inc., 174 Concord Street,
Peterborough, NH 03458)

4 Copyright © 2006, Cognitive.

 Chapter

2
Printer Command Compatibility
All commands, bar codes, and fonts do not work with all printers.
Commands are added with the introduction of new printers and new
firmware releases. Command usage can also vary, depending on the
printer's firmware. The tables following provide some general command
compatibility guidelines. Y indicates that the command is supported in
the current firmware version for the listed printer.

Printer Models
Printer models in the tables are designated as follows:

RD: Code Ranger Printers, all models

PW/PT42: Code Courier printers, models PW422003 and PT422003

BD/BT02: Barcode Blaster LS printers, models BD242002, BD422002,

BT242002, BT422002, and early Barcode Blaster SR printers

BD/BT05: Barcode Blaster high speed printers, models BD242005,

BD422005, BT242004, BT422004

BL4202: Barcode Blaster CL, model BL422003 and BL423002

ADVANTAGE: Barcode Blaster Advantage series, models BD242003,

BD422003, BT242003, BT422003, current Barcode Blaster SR model
BT423002, and Advantage LX model LBT and LBD.

SOLUS: Solus printer series, models SD4TI and ST4TI

DEL SOL: Del Sol LX model LDT and LDD.

CI: C Series, model Ci

CXI: C Series, model Cxi

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 P R I N T E R C O M M A N D C A P A T I B I L I T Y

Compatibility Tables
Use the tables to determine command and functional compatibilities.

Table 1. Printer Command Compatibility

Table 2. Printer Bar Code Support

Table 3. Printer Font Support

Table 1. Printer Command Compatibility

The following table summarizes commands that are compatible with
each printer model.
COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES
CODE COURIER

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
SOLUS
BD/BT

BD/BT

BL42

CXI
CI
ADJUST Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
variable parameter for - - - Y Y Y Y Y
above
ADJUST_DUP Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
AREA_CLEAR Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
BARCODE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
BARCODE PDF417 Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
BARCODE UPS Y - Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y
BARCODE_FONT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
COMMENT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
DELIMIT - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
DEFINE_VAR - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
DOUBLE - - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y
DRAW_BOX Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
END Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
FILL_BOX Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
GRAPHIC - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Graphics mode Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y - -

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COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

CODE COURIER

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
SOLUS
BD/BT

BD/BT

BL42

CXI
CI
Background graphics Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

HALT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Header line Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
variable dot time Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
!A automatic header - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
line
INDEX Y Y Y don't Y Y Y Y Y Y
use
JUSTIFY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
LOGO mode Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y - -
MULTIPLE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
NOINDEX Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
PITCH Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
QUANTITY - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
QUERY FIRMWARE - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
REVISION
QUERY PRINTER Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STATUS
R90, R180, R270 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TIME SET Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TIME ADD Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TIME GET Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TIME QUERY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ULTRA_FONT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Universal clear Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y - -
Wake-up string Y no no no no no no no no no
effect effect effect effect effect effect effect effect effect
WIDTH Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Data storage commands:
Delete Stored Object - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Recall Format - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Store Format - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Store Enhanced Format - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

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 P R I N T E R C O M M A N D C A P A T I B I L I T Y

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

CODE COURIER

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
SOLUS
BD/BT

BD/BT

BL42

CXI
CI
Store Graphic - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Recall Graphic - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Graphic Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Initialize Storage Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
List Stored Objects Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Recall Menu - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Recall Variable - - - Y Y Y Y Y - Y
HEADER commands:
Standard Header Line Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Reuse Header Line Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Automatic Header Y Y Y Y Y Y
Background Header Y Y Y Y Y Y
Clear Background Header Y Y Y Y Y Y

MENU commands:
MENU START Y Y Y Y Y Y
MENU END Y Y Y Y Y Y
MENU EXIT Y Y Y Y Y Y
MENU CONTROL Y Y Y Y Y Y
MENU ACTION Y Y Y Y Y Y
MENU ITEM Y Y Y Y Y Y
MENU MESSAGE Y Y Y Y Y Y
OBJECT MAINTENANCE commands:
Delete Object Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Delete All Objects Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Print Object List Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Object List out Serial Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Port/USB
VARIABLE commands:
Recall Variable Y Y Y Y
Prompts Y Y Y Y
DataSkip Y Y Y Y
VARIABLE ALLOCATE - - - Y Y Y Y Y - -

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COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

CODE COURIER

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
SOLUS
BD/BT

BD/BT

BL42

CXI
CI
VARIABLE AUTOCUT - - - Y - Y - Y Y Y

VARIABLE AUXPOWER Y Y Y

VARIABLE BACKLIGHT Y Y

VARIABLE BEEPER Y Y
VARIABLE Y Y Y Y - - - Y Y Y
BUFFER_TIMED_RESET

VARIABLE COMM Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
VARIABLE Y Y
COMPATIBLE
VARIABLE CONTRAST Y Y

VARIABLE DARKNESS Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE ENERGY Y Y
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
FIRMWARE

VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
DHCP
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
DHCP_CRIT

VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
DHCP_OFFERS

VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
LPD
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
JOBSOKINERROR

VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
TELNET
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
RTEL
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
RTEL PORT

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 P R I N T E R C O M M A N D C A P A T I B I L I T Y

COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

CODE COURIER

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
SOLUS
BD/BT

BD/BT

BL42

CXI
CI
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
RTEL TIMEOUT

VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
BOOTP
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
IP
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
NETMASK

VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
GATEWAY

VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y Y Y
RESET
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y Y Y
RESET COMMUNITY

VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y
SERVER
VARIABLE ETHERNET Y Y Y Y
TXTBFR
VARIABLE FEED Y Y
VARIABLE FEED_TYPE Y Y Y don't Y Y Y Y Y Y
use
VARIABLE HIGHSPEED Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE INDEX - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y - -
SETTING
VARIABLE INDEX Y Y Y Y Y
SETTING CALIBRATE
VARIABLE INDEX Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
VARIABLE IRDA Y - -
VARIABLE IRDA Y - -
PROTOCOL
VARIABLE IRDA COMM Y - -

VARIABLE LOWSPEED Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE Y - - - - - - - - -
LOW_BATTERY

10 Copyright © 2006, Cognitive.

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COMMAND NAME PRINTER SUPPORT / NOTES

CODE COURIER

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
SOLUS
BD/BT

BD/BT

BL42

CXI
CI
VARIABLE MEDIA - - - Y Y Y Y Y - -
_ADJUST
VARIABLE MODE - - Y - Y Y Y Y - -
VARIABLE NO_MEDIA - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE NORMAL Y Y Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y
VARIABLE OFF_AFTER Y - -

VARIABLES ON/OFF - Y Y Y Y Y Y - - -

VARIABLE PITCH Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
VARIABLE POSITION Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE Y Y Y Y Y Y
PRESENTLABEL
VARIABLE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
PRINT_MODE
VARIABLE READ Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
VARIABLE - - - - Y - Y - Y Y
RECALIBRATE
VARIABLE - - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y
REPORT_LEVEL
VARIABLE RESET - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
VARIABLE SHIFT_LEFT - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

VARIABLE Y - - - - - - Y - -
SLEEP_AFTER
VARIABLE TEXT Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
BUFFER
VARIABLE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
USER_FEEDBACK
VARIABLE WIDTH - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
VARIABLE WRITE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

NOTE: On the Del Sol, the WIDTH command is mandatory or errors will occur.

Copyright © 2006, Cognitive. 11

 P R I N T E R C O M M A N D C A P A T I B I L I T Y

Table 2. Printer Bar Code Support

The following table summarizes bar codes supported by each printer
model.
BAR CODE SUPPORTED IN PRINTERS
SYMBOLOGY

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
BD/BT 04/05
PW/PT 42

BD/BT 02

SOLUS
BL42

CXI
CI
ADD2 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ADD5 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE16K Y - Y - - - - - - -
CODE39 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE93 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE128A Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE128B Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE128C Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODABAR Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
EAN8 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
EAN13 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
EAN128 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
MAXICODE Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
MSI Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
MSI1 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
PDF417 Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
PLESSEY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
POSTNET - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
UPCA Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
UPCE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
UPCE1 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
UPCA+ Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
I2OF5 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
D2OF5 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
S2OF5 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

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BAR CODE SUPPORTED IN PRINTERS

SYMBOLOGY

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
BD/BT 04/05
PW/PT 42

BD/BT 02

SOLUS
BL42

CXI
CI
ADD2 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ADD5 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE16K Y - Y - - - - - - -
CODE39 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE93 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE128A Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE128B Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODE128C Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
CODABAR Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
EAN8 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
EAN13 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
EAN128 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
MAXICODE Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
MSI Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
MSI1 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
PDF417 Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
PLESSEY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
POSTNET - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
UPCA Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
UPCE Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
UPCE1 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
UPCA+ Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
I2OF5 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
D2OF5 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
S2OF5 - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

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Table 3. Printer Font Support

The following table summarizes the fonts supported by each printer
model.
FONT OR SUPPORTED IN PRINTERS
FEATURE

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
BD/BT 04/05
PW/PT 42

BD/BT 02

SOLUS
BL42

CXI
CI
STRING 3X5
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 5X7
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 8X8
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 9X12
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 12X16
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 18X23
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 24X31
Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ULTRA_FONT A
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ULTRA_FONT B
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ULTRA_FONT C
Y - Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 0
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 1
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 2
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 3
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 4
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 5
- - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 6
- - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
BARCODE_FONTS
- - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STORED FONTS
- - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
DOUBLE byte
(Kanji) fonts
- - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y

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FONT OR SUPPORTED IN PRINTERS

FEATURE

ADVANTAGE/LX

CODE RANGER
DEL SOL/LX
BD/BT 04/05
PW/PT 42

BD/BT 02

SOLUS
BL42

CXI
CI
STRING 3X5
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 5X7
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 8X8
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 9X12
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 12X16
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 18X23
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STRING 24X31
Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ULTRA_FONT A
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ULTRA_FONT B
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
ULTRA_FONT C
Y - Y - Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 0
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 1
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 2
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 3
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 4
- Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 5
- - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT 6
- - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
TEXT and
ULTRA_FONT

BARCODE_FONTS - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
STORED FONTS
- - - Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
DOUBLE byte
(Kanji) fonts
- - - - Y Y Y Y Y Y

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16 Copyright © 2006, Cognitive.

 Chapter

3
Standard Printer Commands
This chapter describes standard printer commands.

Standard Printer Command List

The following is a list of standard printer commands.
ADJUST END PITCH
ADJUST_DUP FILL_BOX QUANTITY
AREA_CLEAR GRAPHIC QUERY REVISION
BARCODE Graphics mode QUERY STATUS
BARCODE PDF417 HALT ROTATE R90, R180,
R270
BARCODE UPS Header line STRING
BARCODE_FONT INDEX TEXT
JUSTIFY TIME
COMMENT LOGO mode ULTRA_FONT
DEFINE_VAR MULTIPLE Universal clear
DELIMIT NOINDEX Wake-up string
DOUBLE WIDTH
DRAW_BOX

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ADJUST
Function Increments or decrements a variable value or numeric
data on the preceding command line.

Explicit ADJUST variable nnn

Form

Implicit A variable nnn

Form

Parameters variable The name of the variable to be adjusted,

as specified in its DEFINE_VAR command.
The variable value is adjusted wherever it
is called before the ADJUST command in
the label format. This is an optional
parameter, and is not supported in all
printers. If no variable is specified, the
printer will adjust the data on the
command line immediately preceding the
ADJUST command.
NOTE: Do not confuse variable values (as
used to represent data) with VARIABLE
commands (which control the printer). Also,
only printers that support the DEFINE_VAR
command will support variable values. Refer
to Table 1, Printer command compatibility for
more information.

nnnn The incrementing or decrementing step

size. Positive or negative numbers are
accepted.
Comments Using ADJUST to increment or decrement alpha data can
produce unexpected results.

NOTE: ADJUST will not work properly with the !+ header

line parameter

See also ADJUST_DUP

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Example ! 0 100 200 3

BARCODE CODE39 150 30 30 TEST20
ADJUST -01
STRING 12X16 150 65 ADJUST20
ADJUST 01
END

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ADJUST_DUP
Function Used with the ADJUST command to print non-
incremented duplicates of incremented labels.

Explicit Form ADJUST_DUP nnn

Implicit Form AP nnn

Parameters n The number of duplicate labels printed for each

increment specified with the ADJUST command.
NOTE: Only one ADJUST_DUP command is
allowed in each label format. Do not use
ADJUST_DUP with the HALT command

See also ADJUST

Example ! 0 100 50 2
STRING 8X8 0 0 1000
ADJUST 0001
ADJUST_DUP 2
END

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AREA_CLEAR
Function Clears an area of a label for replotting. AREA_CLEAR
may be used in a normal label format, or with the !+
header mode to combine ASCII and graphics.

Explicit Form AREA_CLEAR x y w h

Implicit Form AR x y w h

Parameters x Upper left X coordinate of the cleared area

y Upper left Y coordinate of the cleared area
w Width of the cleared area
h Height of the cleared area
See also Header line

Example ! 0 100 560 1

PITCH 200
JUSTIFY CENTER
ULTRA_FONT A100 (20,3,0) 425 20 COGNITIVE
AREA_CLEAR 288 55 260 27
STRING 18X23 310 60 PRINTERS
END

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BARCODE
Function Prints a bar code, specifying type, position, height, and
characters to be coded.

Explicit BARCODE[Rnnn] type modifiers x y h

Form characters

Implicit B[Rnnn] type modifiers x y h characters

Form

Parameters [Rnnn] Prints bar codes that are rotated 0, 90,

180, or 270 degrees clockwise from
horizontal.

type Bar code type. Accepted types are:

UPCA UPCE UPCE1 UPCA+
EAN8 EAN13 EAN8+ EAN13+
EAN128 ADD2 ADD5 CODE39
I2OF5 S2OF5 D2OF5 CODE128A
CODE128B CODE128C CODABAR
PLESSEY
MSI MSI1 CODE93 POSTNET
CODE16K MAXICODE PDF417
modifiers Optional characters that change the bar
code appearance. Modifiers must directly
follow the bar code type with no
intervening spaces. Multiple modifiers are
accepted, and their order does not matter.
Available modifiers are:
- Prints the bar code without
uncoded subtext (not used with
CODE16K, since it never has
uncoded subtext).
+ Adds a modulo 43 check digit to
CODE39, or when used with
S2OF5 or D2OF5, causes the
intercharacter spacing to be
equal to the width of the wide
bar.

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(n:w) Specifications for the narrow (n)

and wide (w) bars. Place these
modifiers within parentheses.
Allowable range is 1 to 9 for both
n and w. For UPC, EAN, ADD2,
ADD5, and CODE128 (A, B, and C),
n specifies an integral multiplier
for the bar code width. For all
other codes, this option specifies
the width in dots of the narrow
and wide bars. The value of w
must always be greater than n.
W Increases the width ratio of wide
to narrow bars (use only with
CODE39).
X Doubles the width of all bars and
spaces in the bar code (use only
with CODE39).
x y Starting position of printed bar code. This
is the lower left corner of the bar code
block. Extender bars and bar code subtext
are below this position.
h Height of bar code in dots. Allowable
range is 1 to 256. This does not include the
height of the bar code subtext or extender
bars (if any).
Characters ASCII characters to be bar coded.
NOTE: Not all printers support bar codes.
Refer to Table 2. Printer Bar Code Support
for more information.

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Comments Unless modified by a BARCODE_FONT command, all codes

except UPCA+, EAN8+, EAN13+, and UPCE use an 8x8 font
for bar code subtext. The excepted codes use a 5x7 font, to
allow space for extender bars. Bar code subtext begins
two dots below the bar code block.

All bar codes are positioned independently. This includes

ADD2 and ADD5, which are normally used as add-ons for
UPC and EAN codes. The programmer is responsible for
the proper placement of all codes, including add-ons.

MAXICODE and PDF417 codes differ considerably from

other bar codes. See BARCODE UPS and BARCODE
PDF417 for programming information.

See also BARCODE_FONT

IMPORTANT!
Follow the rules of the bar code in use. For example,
UPCA and several other codes do not support characters
A-Z. Attempting to print unsupported characters will
produce bar codes that will not scan. Incorrect bar width
ratios can also produce unscannable bar codes. Please
refer to Chapter 10 - Bar Code information.

Character darkness and pitch also affect the reliability of

the bar codes. Avoid printing bar codes having bar widths
of less than 10 mils. Rotated bar codes should not be
printed with bar widths of less than 15 mils.

Example 1 ! 0 100 90 1
PITCH 100
BARCODE I2OF5 1 20 20 0123456789
BARCODE CODE39W- 1 50 20 34A
END

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Example 2 BARCODE UPCA+ 20 75 70 19112610203

Example 3 BARCODE CODABAR(2:5) 10 30 20 A0123B

Example 4 BARCODE CODE16K 10 10 15 ab0123456789

Example 5 ! 0 100 120 1

PITCH 100
BARCODE UPCA+ 10 95 70 04644200395
BARCODE_FONT 8X8(00,-73,1,1,1,1)
BARCODE ADD5 120 100 61 34028
STRING 8X8 10 5 ISBN 0-395-34028-4
END

Example 6 The following label formats print the same bar code using
different dot times and bar width ratios. (Please note,
though, that these formats use variable dot time. This
feature is not supported in all printers.)
! 0 100 190 1
PITCH 100
BARCODER CODE39(2:6)- 10 0 30 1A2
END

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! 0 100 90 1
PITCH 100
BARCODER CODE39(1:3)- 10 0 30 1A2
END

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BARCODE_FONT
Function Allows selection of the font type, size, and position of
the human-readable characters printed below the
bar-coded information.

Explicit Form BARCODE_FONT type

Implicit Form BT type

Parameters type Font type. Most printers can use any

resident font except Ultra Font C.
STRING is the default font type and will
work with any printer. If you use a
STRING font you only need to specify the
font size and modifiers. For all other fonts
you must spell out the font command
name, font size, and modifiers; for
example, ULTRA_FONT A20 (5,3,0) or
TEXT 3.
NOTE: Not all printers will accept all font
types for bar code subtext. Refer to Table 3.
Printer Font Support for more information.

You may use any font modifiers except

for font rotation modifiers (bar code
subtext automatically rotates with the
bar code). When using STRING fonts,
two more optional modifiers are
available:
horadj Offsets the printed text horizontally.
Must be two digits; add leading zeros as
required. May be positive or negative. If
negative, the subtext is moved to the left.

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vertadj Offsets the printed text vertically. Must

be two digits; add leading zeros as
required. May be positive or negative.
Positive values move the subtext down,
negative values move it up.
NOTE: If you use the horadj or
vertadj modifiers, you must specify
values for all modifiers as described for the
STRING command.

See the STRING, TEXT, and ULTRA_FONT commands

for other parameter details.

Comments The default subtext font for all bar codes except
UPCA+, EAN8+, EAN13+, and UPCE is an 8x8 string
font. The excepted codes use a 5x7 string font, to
allow extra space for extender bars. Unless modified
using the horadj and vertadj modifiers, the bar
code subtext is placed two dot rows below the bar
code block.

See also BARCODE

NOTE: This command modifies all bar codes following it

in the label format up to the next BARCODE_FONT
command.

If you use multiple BARCODE_FONT commands in a

label format and specify optional font modifiers for one or
more of the commands, you must specify optional font
modifiers for all of the BARCODE_FONT commands
within the label format.

Example 1 BARCODE_FONT 12X16

BARCODE CODE39 5 55 15 ABC

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Example 2 BARCODE_FONT 9x12(00,05,1,1,1,2)

BARCODE UPCAX+ 35 50 50 72773740001

Example 3 ! 0 100 95 1
PITCH 100
BARCODE_FONT 8X8(00,-73,1,1,1,1)
BARCODE ADD5 20 90 61 34028
END

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BARCODE PDF417
Function Prints a two-dimensional bar code on a label, using
the PDF417 symbology.

Explicit Form BARCODE PDF417 x y w:h ec% rows:cols

bytes T M data

Implicit Form BARCODE 7 x y w:h ec% rows:cols bytes T

M data

Parameters R Optional. Indicates rotated code

x y X and Y starting position for bar code
block.
w Width (x dimension) of the narrowest
element (bar or space) in the bar code.
h Height (y dimension) of the shortest
element (bar or space) in the bar code.
: Optional. When used, indicates that w
and h define aspect ratio rather than
absolute size in dots.
ec Error correction level; 0 through 8.
% Optional; indicates the error correction
level is expressed as the percentage of
code words in the bar code that are
devoted to error correction.
rows Number of bar code rows, from 3 to 90.
Entering 0 will cause the printer to
calculate the number of rows.
: Optional. When used, indicates that rows
and cols define the overall symbol
aspect ratio rather than absolute number
of rows or columns.
cols Number of bar code columns, from 1 to
30. Entering 0 will cause the printer to
calculate the number of columns.

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bytes Number of encoded data bytes, including

carriage returns and line feeds. Macro
PDF functions are invoked if this value
exceeds 3072 (see comments).
T Optional; produces a truncated bar code
(the right row indicator and stop bar are
replaced by a single width bar).
M Optional; enables Macro PDF functions
(see comments).
data Data to be encoded.
NOTE: The number of bytes specified must
exactly equal the number of bytes in the
data that follows. The printer may not
execute other commands following the
BARCODE PDF417 command if the byte
value is incorrect.

Comments PDF417 bar codes never have human-readable

subtext.

All dimensions specified in the command are in dots.

The starting position of the bar code block is
normally its upper left corner, but the JUSTIFY
command can right justify or center justify PDF417
codes. Place the proper JUSTIFY command before
the BARCODE PDF417 or BARCODER PDF417
command that plots the bar code you wish to justify.

Macro PDF functions provide command

enhancements useful for handling large amounts of
data. Macro PDF can create a distributed
representation of files that are too large for a single
PDF417 bar code block. An M before the data will
invoke macro PDF, or the printer will invoke it
automatically if the supplied data will not fit in a
single PDF417 symbol. With macro PDF in effect,
you may add the following optional parameters
before the data:

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 S T A N D A R D P R I N T E R C O M M A N D S

I File ID. Enter the desired file

identification as a string after the I
character. If the I is not followed by a
valid string, the printer will select a
random file ID.

N File name. Enter the desired file name as

a string after the N character.

B Block count. The B character tells the

printer to count the number of PDF417
symbols spanned by the data, and attach
this number to the code.

P Time stamp. Follow the P with an eight

character string equal to the number of
seconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00
GMT.

S Sender. Place an alphanumeric string

after the S character to indicate the
sender.

A Addressee. An alphanumeric string after

the A character identifies the addressee.

F File size, in bytes. The printer will

calculate this value automatically.

C Checksum. The presence of the C

character will tell the printer to calculate
a 16 bit CRC checksum and append it to
the code.

Place double quotes (") around all strings used in

the macro commands. To include a double quote
within the string, precede it by a backslash (\). To
include a backslash within a string, precede it with
an extra backslash.

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Example PITCH 200

BARCODE PDF417 50 10 2 6 1 0 7 309
NAME:JOHN SMITH
ADDRESS:116 WILBUR
BOHEMIA, NY 11716
PHONE:516-555-4907
PHYSICIAN:DR.HARRY KLINE
STONYBROOK MED CTR
INSURANCE:AETNA
POLICY NO:918-1287345
SPOUSE:JENNIFER SMITH
HT:5'9"
WT:165
HAIR COLOR:BROWN
EYE COLOR:BROWN
ALLERGIES:NONE
DISABILITIES:NONE
BLOOD:A
SS#051-98-2374
DOB:5/24/60
END

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BARCODE UPS
Function Prints a two-dimensional bar code on a label, using
the MaxiCode symbology. Cognitive printers may
implement this bar code two ways, as described
below.

Explicit Form BARCODE UPS x y mod data

Implicit Form B PS x y mod data

Alternate BARCODE UPS x y mod CrLF data

Explicit Form

Alternate B PS x y mod CrLF data

Implicit Form

x y X and Y starting position for bar code

block.
mod Encoding mode; allowable values are 0
through 6.
CrLF Carriage return and line feed

data Data to be encoded. If not preceded by

a carriage return and line feed, the
data must conform to the following
format:
zip plus4 class ccode bytes
LMdata
zip – Five digit postal (zip) code,
numeric
plus4 – Four digit zip code extension,
numeric only
class – Three digit service class,
numeric only
ccode – Three digit country code,
numeric only

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bytes – Number of encoded data bytes

in the Low Priority Message. The
number of bytes includes all carriage
returns and line feeds, and must equal
84.
LMdata – Alphanumeric data to be
encoded as the Low Priority Message.
Uppercase alpha characters only. If the
total number of bytes is less than 84,
pad the data with the exclamation
point character (!) until there are 84
bytes in the message.
NOTE: Most printers that support
MaxiCode will automatically pad the data
as required, but some earlier printers may
not. Manually placing the correct number
of data bytes in the message will help
assure that the code prints and scans
correctly when using the command with
older printers.

The data does not have to follow the

above format if it is preceded by a
carriage return and line feed, as shown
in the alternate explicit and implicit
forms above. The presence of the
carriage return/line feed tells the
printer to encode all the data as it is
encountered, regardless of order or
content. But the data must conform to
ANSI standards if you are using
MaxiCode for common carrier
shipment identification. For more
information, see ANSI MH10.8.3, or
Guide to Bar Coding with UPS,
published by United Parcel Service,
Inc. This booklet contains detailed UPS
MaxiCode requirements, plus
programming examples for various
printers.

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Comments MaxiCodes cannot be rotated, and can never have

human-readable subtext.

Example The following example uses the alternate form, with

data coded following the ANSI MH10.8.3 standard.

NOTE: This format will not print if copied directly to the

printer. The BARCODE UPS command line is broken for
Help window readability. Also, the example uses non-
displayable control characters, represented as follows:

CrLF = carriage return and line feed

Gs = ASCII 29 (decimal)

Rs = ASCII 30 (decimal)

Eot = ASCII 4 (decimal)

! 0 100 570 1
PITCH 200
BARCODE UPS 0 0 2 CrLF[)>Rs01Gs96841706672
Gs001Gs1Z12345675GsUPSNGs12345EGs089GsGs
1/1Gs10.1GsYGsGsGsUTRsEot
END

This example codes the following data:

[)>Rs Message Header

01Gs96 Transportation Data

Format Header

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841706672Gs840 Postal Code, Country

Code

Gs001Gs1Z12345675 Class of Service,

Tracking Number

GsUPSNGs12345EGs089 SCAC, UPS Shipper

Number, Julian Day of
Pickup

GsGs1/1 Place holder for

Shipment ID Number,
Package n/x

Gs10.1GsY Package Weight,

Address Validation

Gs Place holder for Ship To

Street Address

Gs Place holder for Ship To

City

GsUT Ship To State

Rs End Of Format

Eot End Of Message

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 S T A N D A R D P R I N T E R C O M M A N D S

COMMENT
Function This command is used for documenting label
formats. Comment lines do not affect label printing.

Explicit Form COMMENT characters

Implicit Form C characters

Parameters characters The non-printing comment. The

printer ignores all characters
following the COMMENT command, up
to the end of the line as indicated by
the presence of a line feed character
(ASCII character 10).
Comments This command is primarily for internal
documentation of label formats, but you can also
use it to temporarily disable commands. Placing a C
or the word COMMENT before the command will
disable it.

Example In the label format below, the presence of the C

character at the beginning of the third line and the
word COMMENT in the fourth line tells the printer to
ignore everything that follows up to the next line
feed.
! 0 100 190 1
STRING 8X8 115 5 THIS COMMENT WILL PRINT
C STRING 8X8 115 15 THIS COMMENT WON'T PRINT
COMMENT this is a comment. It won't print
either.
END

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DOUBLE
Function Prints "double byte" text characters from a selected
font set. Double byte fonts are used for characters
that require greater resolution than can be provided
in a single byte (specifically, Kanji characters).

Explicit Form DOUBLE

font(eximage,exspace,xmult,ymult) x y
mtid characters

Parameters font Specifies the text font. There are two

double byte fonts available at
present:
16 = 16x16 dot Kanji
24 = 24x24 dot Kanji
mtid Specifies a font mapping table; must
be 1 (specifies mapping table
SHIFTJIS). More mapping tables
may be added in future firmware
releases.
See the STRING command for other parameter
details.
Example The following label format will print text using the
double byte characters. The Kanji characters are
mapped above ASCII 128, so may not display
correctly on your terminal.
! 0 100 210 1
DOUBLE 24 0 0 1 This is Kanji(24x24) ˆ ˆ¡
DOUBLE 16(0,0,2,2) 0 50 1 This is
Kanji(16x16*2) ˆ ˆ¡’@
END

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DRAW_BOX
Function Draws a hollow rectangle on the label.

Explicit Form DRAW_BOX x y w h t

Implicit Form D x y w h t

Parameters x X coordinate of upper left corner of

box
y Y coordinate of upper left corner of
box
w Box width, measured in dot
columns. Must be greater than zero.
h Box height, measured in dot rows.
Must be greater than zero.
t Optional; specifies line thickness in
dots. The default is 1. If t is greater
than 1, the x, y, w, and h parameters
refer to the box outside dimensions.
Comments DRAW_BOX can draw horizontal and vertical lines on
labels if you set t and h or w equal to 1, but the lines
are two dots wide. Boxes drawn with this command
may not print well at 200 DPI or higher resolution
unless the t parameter is 2 or more. Some early
printers do not support the t parameter, in which
case we suggest using multiple FILL_BOX
commands to create boxes with thicker lines.

See also FILL_BOX

NOTE: Avoid drawing boxes around bar codes.

Vertical lines near the bar code edge may be confused
by scanners as being part of the code.

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Example DRAW_BOX 5 5 100 50

DRAW_BOX 10 10 90 40
DRAW_BOX 20 30 70 1

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END
Function Signals the end of a label format

Explicit Form END

Implicit Form E

Parameters None

Comments The END command tells the printer that all data
required for the current label format has been sent.
When the END command reaches the printer, the
label format is processed and printing begins.
Printing normally continues until all the labels
specified in the label format have printed, but it
may be temporarily paused with the HALT
command (or by enabling label taken mode in
printers so equipped).

See also HALT

IMPORTANT!
Place an END statement at the end of every ASCII label
format unless otherwise noted in specific command
instructions. The printer will not print the label format
until it receives an END command.

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FILL_BOX
Function This command inverts every dot in the specified
rectangular area. Where the existing field is white,
the FILL_BOX command fills it in black, while areas
already black are flipped to white.

Explicit Form FILL_BOX x y w h

Implicit Form F x y w h

Parameters x X coordinate of upper left corner of

box
y Y coordinate of upper left corner of
box
w Box width, measured in dot
columns. Must be greater than zero.
h Box height, measured in dot rows.
Must be greater than zero.
Comments The FILL_BOX command can produce many useful
effects. Overlaying multiple filled boxes can produce
wide or multiple-line borders. Overlaying filled
boxes can also produce shadow effects or one-dot-
wide lines. The following examples show some
possible uses of the command.

See also DRAW_BOX

IMPORTANT!
You can print black labels with white text on them using
the FILL_BOX command, but this is not
recommended. Printing large dark areas causes
excessive heat buildup and is very hard on the print
head. Long horizontal boxes are most strenuous to
print. They may adversely affect print quality, and also
place considerable drain on a portable printer's battery.

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Example 1 ! 0 100 180 1

PITCH 200
FILL_BOX 50 50 750 85
FILL_BOX 50 50 725 60
FILL_BOX 25 25 750 85
FILL_BOX 27 27 750 85
END

Example 2 ! 0 100 90 1
PITCH 100
ULTRA_FONT B25 (6,0,0) 70 5 SHELL 1
FILL_BOX 65 1 130 20
ULTRA_FONT B25 (4,2,0) 71 6 SHELL 1
FILL_BOX 65 1 130 30
ULTRA_FONT B25 (6,0,0) 70 40 SHELL 2
FILL_BOX 65 36 130 20
ULTRA_FONT B25 (4,2,0) 71 40 SHELL 2
END

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GRAPHIC
Function Initializes the printer to receive graphics data, and
positions the received graphic on a label. This
ASCII command allows you to send standard PCX
or BMP format graphics directly from a file.

NOTE: GRAPHIC must be the last command in its label

format. Do not follow it with an END command. The
printer waits for graphics data and a following printable
label file after receiving this command.

Explicit Form GRAPHIC type x y

Implicit Form G type x y

Parameters type Graphic file type. Allowable types

are PCX and BMP.
x y Starting position of the printed
graphic; normally the upper-left
corner unless changed by a JUSTIFY
command.
Comments After the printer receives the GRAPHIC command it
waits for the arrival of graphics data. The data is
then mapped in the printer's memory. To print the
graphic, send another label format using a !+
header line to the printer.

The printer only prints bi-level (black and white)

graphics. Do not try to print color or grayscale
graphics. Also, graphics are printed full scale, with
each image dot corresponding to one printed dot.
The printer will not scale graphics to fit.

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Example The following two label formats will print a PCX

graphic with its upper left corner at location 416, 14
if the appropriate PCX file is sent to the printer
following the first label format.

Format 1
! 0 100 600 0
JUSTIFY RIGHT
GRAPHIC PCX 416 14

- (Send the graphics file here. The printer will print

after it receives the label format below.)

Format 2
!+ 0 100 590 1
END

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Graphics mode
Function Initializes the printer to receive binary data for
printing bitmapped graphics. Unlike most
commands, this command is not sent as ASCII text.
Send all graphics data, including the header line, to
the printer in a continuous binary data stream.

Explicit Form mode dottime dotrows numlbls data

Parameters mode The graphics command. Use @ for

foreground graphics printing, # for
background graphics printing. The
mode parameter is sent as a one
byte binary representation of the
ASCII character.
dottime Determines the Y dimension of each
dot. Dot time is a one byte binary
number with a decimal value
between 1 and 255.
dotrows Number of dot rows required for the
image, sent as a two byte binary
value with a minimum of 1 and a
maximum limited by label size and
available printer memory.
numlbls Number of duplicate labels to print,
sent as a two byte binary number
having a decimal value between 0
and 65535. Set this value to 0 when
preparing background graphics.
data Binary data defining the bitmapped
image. The image is coded as a
raster scan, with binary 1's
representing black dots and binary
0's representing white dots.

IMPORTANT!
Dot time values that result in aspect ratios less than 0.8
are not recommended, as poor print quality can result.

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Comments When programming in graphics mode, you control

every dot on the print head separately. All the dots
on the finished label can be either dark or light,
depending on the setting for each bit in the graphics
file.

Send all data to the printer in a continuous binary

stream. Enough data must reach the printer to
control all the dots for the specified number of dot
rows over the print width. That may be quite a lot of
data, since each square inch of label when printed
at 200 DPI can have 40,000 dots. If your graphics
image is much smaller than the print head width,
we recommend using LOGO mode programming if
possible. If you cannot use LOGO mode, reducing the
width with a WIDTH statement in a normal ASCII
label format will help reduce the data requirement.

You cannot use a typical word processor to create

binary files. This is because word processors enter
every character as an ASCII code. Typing the
number zero, for example, produces ASCII 48. This
character leaves the computer as binary code
00110000, which is not the same as sending binary
00000000 (true binary zero).

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ASCII commands cannot be mixed in the binary

graphics file. If you want to print predefined objects
(such as bar codes or text) on the same label with
binary bitmapped graphics, you have four possible
approaches:

1. Program either the graphics or the ASCII

components in the background, and put the other
components in the foreground.

2. Use the !+ header line mode with AREA_CLEAR

to overlay existing data with new data (typically,
you send the bitmap to the printer first, then use !+
to put the ASCII components over the bitmap).

3. Use LOGO mode to place graphics where you want

them, then use !+ to send ASCII components to the
printer.

4. Use the GRAPHIC command to send the graphics

to the printer as a BMP or PCX file, and then follow
it with an ASCII label format containing the
predefined objects.

See also Header line, LOGO mode, AREA_CLEAR, and

GRAPHIC

Example Here is the beginning of a typical foreground

graphic in ASCII form, hexadecimal form, and
binary. The segment shown covers the graphics
header and the beginning of the bitmap. Spaces
have been added to the ASCII and hexadecimal
forms for clarity. The printer will only accept the
binary form.

ASCII: @ 100 100 1 0000000000...

Hex: 40 64 0064 1 000000000...

Binary:
0010100001000000000000000100000000000000000
000100000…

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HALT
Function Pauses the printer after it prints one label. If there
are more labels left to print in the current batch,
pressing the printer's feed switch will signal the
printer to print the next label. The HALT command
also activates the label cutter in printers so
equipped.

Explicit Form HALT

Implicit Form H

Parameters None

Comments This feature is intended for situations that require

many similar labels, presented one at a time. For
example, tagging a large quantity of boxes on a
warehouse floor might call for labels that are
identical except for a serial number. You could write
the label format using the ADJUST command to
change the serial number, and use the HALT
command to put printing "on hold." Only one label
prints when you upload the label format to the
printer. If using a portable printer, you could even
disconnect the printer from the host and carry it to
the warehouse with the labels ready to print as
needed, without any other equipment.

Printers that have an integral cutter and label

taken sensor will stream labels without cutting
them unless there is a HALT command in the label
format, or VARIABLE AUTOCUT is ON.

See also VARIABLE AUTOCUT

NOTE: Place the HALT command before the END

command but after all commands that map components
on the label (such as STRING or BARCODE).

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Header line
Function Initializes the printer to receive a label format.

Explicit Form mode x dottime maxY numlbls

Parameters mode Sets the encoding mode for the label

format. Valid characters are:
! Standard header line.
ASCII mode: The printer
treats all incoming data as
ASCII commands in this
mode.
@ Graphics mode: All
incoming data is treated as
binary graphics. (See
Graphics mode for further
details.)
!# Background header line.
ASCII background mode:
Same as ! mode, except
does not immediately print
labels (see below).
# Graphics background mode:
Same as graphics mode,
except does not immediately
print labels.

!* Clear background header

line. (ASCII or GRAPHICS):
Turns off background mode,
recombining the foreground
and background memory
buffers. Does not clear
memory.

!+ Reuse header line. New

start sequence - plots a label
over an existing label
without erasing the

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previous label. (See also

AREA_CLEAR command.)
!A Automatic header line.
Same as !, except
remaining header line
parameters are not
required. The printer sets x
to zero, dottime to 100,
calculates MaxY, and sets
numlbls to zero. MaxY is
calculated based on the
location of the last plotted
row in the image buffer. Use
this header line with the
QUANTITY command or in
stored label formats. This
header can be used for
labels up to 6 inches long.
The actual label length is
calculated based on the
position of the last plotted
row in the image buffer.

x X starting position for label. Older

printers used this parameter to
position labels horizontally so two
labels could be printed side-by-side.
Always set x equal to zero in any
printers that support the MULTIPLE
command. High speed Barcode
Blaster printers automatically limit
their print speed to 3 IPS when x is
nonzero.
dottime Determines how long the printhead
dots stay hot, thereby changing the
dot length. Values can range from 0
to 255, but values less than 30 are
treated as 30. The dot time will
increment in steps of 10 when
operating in linear dot time mode
(see the VARIABLE MODE

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command). The specified dot time is

rounded down to the nearest step.
NOTE: Dot time values that result in
aspect ratios less than 0.8 may cause
poor print quality. Dot times under 100
automatically disable high speed
printing. Some printers only support
dot time 100. Refer to Table 1. Printer
Command Compatibility for more
information.

maxY Specifies how many dot rows are

memory-mapped for each label max
Y must be large enough to map all
label components, but not so large
that it causes memory overflow or
label skipping.
numlbls Sets the quantity of labels to be
printed by the label format. The
allowable range is 0 to 65535.
Comments The ASCII background and graphics background
modes do not print labels immediately. Background
mode splits the printer memory into two segments:
the foreground and background memory buffers.
Data sent via background mode resides in the
background buffer and prints when the next label
format containing foreground data reaches the
printer. Background data stays in memory until
intentionally cleared.

All label formats require a header line. The header

line precedes all other commands in the label
format, with the exception of the printer wake-up
string (if used).

NOTE: A few ASCII commands, such as the QUERY

STATUS command, replace the normal header line.
These cases are noted in their command descriptions.

Header line parameters are critical for proper

printing. For most ASCII label formats you can

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"rough-in" header line values as follows:

Use ! for ASCII foreground printing.

Use 0 for the X starting position.

Use a dot time of 100 for an aspect ratio of 1:1 in

linear dot time mode.

Determine an approximate maxY value by

multiplying the label length (or desired label length,
for cutter equipped printers) by the print pitch and
then reducing the value by 10%. For dot times other
than 100, divide the result by the aspect ratio (dot
time divided by 100).

See also Graphics mode, LOGO mode, Wake-up string

Example ! 0 100 60 13
COMMENT ASCII FOREGROUND, X START=0,
COMMENT DOTTIME=100, MAX Y=60, 13 LABELS

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INDEX
Function Enables automatic label indexing. When printing is
finished the printer feeds the label stock until the
next label's first dot row is positioned under the
printhead burn line (based on the position of the
label's indexing cue; i.e., the black bar or gap
location). This is the default operating mode. Label
indexing remains on unless disabled with a
NOINDEX command.

IMPORTANT!
Do not use this command when using continuous-form
media. Continuous-form media has no indexing cues
and will feed continuously if automatic label indexing is
enabled.

Explicit Form INDEX

Implicit Form I

Parameters None
NOTE: Because INDEX positions the first dot row of the
next label at the burn line, with butt-cut label stock the
label perforation may be under the edge of the print
head.
The exact index position may vary slightly from printer
to printer due to calibration differences. The VARIABLE
POSITION command can adjust the index position.

See also NOINDEX, VARIABLE POSITION

Example ! 0 0 0 0
C This format will turn indexing on and feed a
label
INDEX
END

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JUSTIFY
Function Positions Ultra Font and TEXT printing, PDF417
and MAXICODE bar codes, and GRAPHIC command
images either left, right, or center of their horizontal
coordinate (X coordinate for non-rotated text and
bar codes, Y coordinate for rotated text and bar
codes). Once invoked, the justification remains in
effect for the rest of the label format or until
changed by another JUSTIFY command

Explicit Form JUSTIFY alignment

Implicit Form J alignment

Parameters alignment LEFT Aligns the component's

or L left edge with its specified
horizontal coordinate.
(Default)
RIGHT Aligns the component's
or R right edge with the
specified horizontal
coordinate.
CENTER Centers the text on the
or C specified horizontal
coordinate.
See also ULTRA_FONT, TEXT, BARCODE(R) PDF417,
BARCODE UPS, GRAPHIC

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Example 1 JUSTIFY LEFT

ULTRA_FONT A40 (5,0,0) 400 10 LEFT JUSTIFY
JUSTIFY RIGHT
ULTRA_FONT A40 (5,0,0) 400 50 RIGHT JUSTIFY
JUSTIFY CENTER
ULTRA_FONT A40 (5,0,0) 400 90 CENTER JUSTIFY
END

Example 2 JUSTIFY LEFT

ULTRA_FONT A40 (5,0,90) 150 120 LEFT
JUSTIFY RIGHT
ULTRA_FONT A40 (5,0,90) 100 120 RIGHT
JUSTIFY CENTER
ULTRA_FONT A40 (5,0,90) 50 120 CENTER
END

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LOGO mode
Function Allows placement of bitmapped graphics in specific label
areas, or windows. You specify the window sizes and
locations individually. Any number of graphics windows
is allowed, providing they do not overlap.

NOTE: Unlike most commands, you cannot enter the logo

mode command in ASCII form. The printer will only accept it
as pure binary data with no extraneous characters.

Explicit mode 0 x y w h data

Form

Parameters mode 0 Logo mode identifier. Send the 0 as one

byte (hexadecimal zero). For foreground
graphics, mode is the @ sign, or
hexadecimal 40. For background graphics,
mode is the # sign, or hexadecimal 23.
x Graphics window starting point X
coordinate, sent as two bytes. The X
coordinate equals the dot-column of the
desired starting point divided by 8.
y Graphics window starting point Y
coordinate (dot-row), sent as two bytes.
w Graphics window width, sent as two bytes.
The width equals the window width in
dot-columns divided by 8.
h Graphics window height in dots, sent in
two bytes.
Data Binary graphics data. Always send
enough data to specify the condition of
every dot in the window area. Darkened
dots are programmed with a binary 1;
light dots are binary 0. Program the
graphics image as a raster-scan.

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Comments In background mode, the maximum programmable label

size is cut in half. Consider using foreground LOGO mode
with the !+ header line when printing combined ASCII
and graphics.

When sending the x, y, w, and h parameters, send the

most significant byte first.

Clear memory by sending a dummy label format to the

printer before and after using LOGO mode. This keeps
residual data from spoiling the finished label.

See also Graphics mode, Header line, GRAPHIC

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MULTIPLE
Function Causes the printer to print duplicate labels side-by-
side.

Explicit Form MULTIPLE nnn

Implicit Form M nnn

Parameters n is the number of duplicate labels to print side-by-

side. The acceptable range is 2 to 9.
The labels printed side-by-side must actually fit in
the available space; otherwise they are truncated on
the right side.
NOTE: Avoid using this command with high speed
Barcode Blaster printers. Barcode Blaster will
automatically reduce its print speed to 3 IPS when it
encounters this command, due to the increased
processing requirements.

Comments Using this command when printing many small

labels can save considerable amounts of label stock.
The command is also useful for printing split labels.

The total number of labels printed is the same as

the quantity specified in the header line.

You may use the MULTIPLE command with the

ADJUST command to print labels side-by-side with
changing numeric data. However, the adjusted
values will only change when the printer feeds the
next label, so each set of side-by-side labels are
identical.

NOTE: Place the MULTIPLE command after the

header line but before any commands that map
components on the label, such as STRING or
BARCODE.

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Example ! 0 130 70 2
PITCH 100
WIDTH 224
MULTIPLE 2
STRING 8X8 7 0 ADIDAS 4446
STRING 8X8 7 10 JOGGING
STRING 8X8 7 20 SHORTS
STRING 8X8 37 30 $14.00
BARCODE I2OF5- 17 60 20 3445478940
END

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NOINDEX
Function Disables index detection. The printer will stop
feeding the label after printing the last dot row.
With most printers, this command remains in effect
until you turn the printer off or issue an INDEX
command. Portable printers are an exception: in
these printers, NOINDEX shuts off when the printer
goes to sleep.

Explicit Form NOINDEX

Implicit Form N

Parameters None

Comments Use NOINDEX when printing on paper without gaps

or index bars, or when you want the printer to print
multiple small labels on large label stock. You can
allow space between labels by increasing max Y in
the header line or by sending a dummy label format
having the required number of dot rows.

Example ! 0 100 60 1
NOINDEX

NOTE: Do not use the INDEX and NOINDEX

commands in the same label format.

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PITCH
Function Sets the print density in dots per inch.

Explicit Form PITCH nnn

Implicit Form P nnn

Parameters nnn is equal to print pitch in dots per inch (DPI).

Allowable values depend on the printhead density:
PH Density Default Pitch Alternate Pitch

300 300 150

203 200 100

150 150 75

NOTE: The default pitch changes to the lowest

available print pitch if Blazer emulation is enabled. See
the VARIABLE MODE command for more information.

Comments Decreasing the print density (decreasing nnn

above) increases the size of each printed dot by a
corresponding amount. This increases the size of
the entire label. For example, a 100 dot-wide box
printed at 200 pitch is 0.5" wide, but the same box
printed at 100 pitch is 1" wide. Both boxes use the
same amount of memory, and occupy the same
number of dot rows.

Do not use PITCH more than once in any label

format. Multiple PITCH commands may produce
unusual effects.

NOTE: Place the PITCH command after the header

line but before any commands that locate label
components, such as STRING or BARCODE.

Portable printers will always default to their highest

pitch with each new label format unless explicitly set to
a lower pitch.

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See also VARIABLE PITCH

Example ! 0 100 90 1
PITCH 200
JUSTIFY CENTER
ULTRA_FONT B20 (5,0,0) 400 10 UFONT B20 AT
200 PITCH
END
! 0 100 45 1
PITCH 100
JUSTIFY CENTER
ULTRA_FONT B20 (5,0,0) 200 10 UFONT B20 AT
100 PITCH
END

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QUANTITY
Function Sets the quantity of labels to be printed by the label
format.

Explicit Form QUANTITY numlabels

Implicit Form QY numlabels

Parameters numlabels is equal to the number of labels printed

by the label format. The allowable range is 0 to
65535.
Comments Using this command is functionally identical to
specifying the number of labels in the header line,
but offers the programmer some added flexibility
since numlabels can be a variable. The QUANTITY
command also lets the programmer specify the
number of labels to print when using the automatic
header line (!A) feature.

NOTE: The number of labels printed is the last quantity

specified; therefore, the quantity specified by
QUANTITY takes precedence over the quantity
specified in the header line.

See also DEFINE_VAR, Header Line

Example The following example will print three identical

labels:
! 0 100 90 1
PITCH 100
BARCODE I2OF5 1 20 20 0123456789
BARCODE CODE39W- 1 50 20 34A
QUANTITY 3
END

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QUERY FIRMWARE REVISION

Function Causes the printer to send firmware revision
information to the host computer. The printer
sends its firmware part number, revision, revision
time, and revision date in response to this
command. Such information is useful when
developing software that must control several
different printers.

Explicit Form !QR

Parameters None

Comments This command does not require a header line, but

must be followed by a line feed (or carriage return
and line feed) and an END statement. Do not use
any other commands with QUERY REVISION.

See also QUERY STATUS, VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK

Example !QR
END

IMPORTANT!
Use this command exactly as shown in the example.
Do not use other commands (except the END
command) with the QUERY REVISION command.

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QUERY PRINTER STATUS

Function Causes the printer to send a status message to the
host computer. The status message indicates the
current printer condition, such as ready, printing,
low battery, out of paper, and so on. Such
information is useful when controlling the printer
from a remote site. However, the host computer
must be programmed to properly interpret the
incoming data.

Explicit Form !QS

Parameters None

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Comments This command replaces the normal header line.

Follow the command with a line feed (or carriage
return and line feed) and an END statement. Do not
use any other commands with QUERY STATUS.

Status Query Response Messages

Status Type Prog Advantage Genesis Code

Guide Ranger
Ready R R R R
Printhead Hot H H H H
Head Up U U U U
Motor Hot M H
Parse Error A A e
Paper Out O O O O
Ribbon Out o o o o
Programming F F
Halted W W W W
Hex dump X X
Printing (printing P P P P
in process, or
printer paused
during batch
mode
processing)
Background B B
image is
present
Low Battery L L L
EEPROM Error E e E*
Error (only upon E**
a checksum
error)
Charging C C* C
Cutter Error c c c*
Serial Error S S* S*
Integrity Error I I*
Download Error D D D*
Sleep z
Off Z

The printer can send the following status messages

to the host computer when it is queried:

B Background. This is the status if there is a

valid image in the background memory
buffer and no print tasks are pending.

C Charging (applicable only to portable

printers). The printer battery is charging
and no print tasks are pending. The
printer sends this message once per
second if USER_FEEDBACK is ON.

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R Ready. The printer has no pending print

tasks, is not charging, and the background
buffer is empty.

The printer can send many other status messages

to the host in response to error conditions, but the
printer communications port will go busy in the
event of a printer error. Therefore, the printer will
send the following error messages but will not
respond to the QUERY STATUS command if these
errors occur:

c (lowercase letter C) Cutter error

(applicable only to cutter equipped
printers). The label cutter is jammed or
not working correctly.

D Download error. An error has occurred

while attempting to load new firmware.

E EEPROM error. This error will occur

when printer is first turned on if the
EEPROM checksum is invalid.

H Hot printhead. This error will occur if the

printhead thermal cycles.

I Nonvolatile memory failure.

L Low battery. The printer sends this

message eight times per second if it
detects a low power condition and
USER_FEEDBACK is ON. The printer will
send this message once regardless of the
USER_FEEDBACK state if the power drops
below the normal operating voltage level
(for example, when the power is switched
off).

O Out of paper. The printer sends this

message eight times per second if it runs
out of paper and USER_FEEDBACK is ON.

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o (lowercase letter O) Out of ribbon or

ribbon stalled. (Only reported by TT
printers capable of detecting a stalled
ribbon.) The printer sends this message
eight times per second if it runs out of
ribbon and USER_FEEDBACK is ON.

P Printing in process, or printer paused

during batch mode processing.

S Serial port communications error.

U Printhead Up. The printhead is not fully

closed.

W Waiting. The printer is paused during a

batch printing operation.

The printer sends a five digit number after each

letter. If the leading letter is a C (indicating the
battery is charging), the number following the C is
proportional to the battery charge state. If the
leading letter is an E (indicating an EEPROM
error), the number following the E is the EEPROM
checksum. In all other cases, the five digit number
shows the quantity of unprinted labels in the
current batch.

E messages have two parts. The first part begins

with an E and is followed by the calculated
checksum. The second part begins with an E and is
followed by the stored checksum.

NOTE: If the printer detects an EEPROM error, it will

automatically load the nonvolatile RAM with default
values. The printer may work, but print quality may be
degraded. Contact your service technician when an
EEPROM error occurs.

See also VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK

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Example !QS
END

IMPORTANT!
Use this command exactly as shown in the example.
Do not use other commands (except the END
command) with the QUERY STATUS command.

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ROTATE R90, R180, R270

Function Prints STRING text on the label, rotated clockwise
in three orientations:

R90 – Prints text rotated 90 degrees clockwise from

horizontal.

R180 – Prints text rotated 180 degrees clockwise

from horizontal (upside-down).

R270 – Prints text rotated 270 degrees clockwise

from horizontal.

Explicit Form R90 type(eximage,exspace,xmultiplier,

ymultiplyer) x y characters

R180 type(eximage,exspace,xmultiplier,
ymultiplyer) x y characters

R270 type(eximage,exspace,xmultiplier,
ymultiplyer) x y characters

Implicit Form R9 type(eximage,exspace,xmultiplier,

ymultiplyer) x y characters

R1 type(eximage,exspace,xmultiplier,
ymultiplyer) x y characters

R2 type(eximage,exspace,xmultiplier,
ymultiplyer) x y characters

Parameters See the STRING command for parameter details.

Note, however, that the X and Y starting
coordinates for the string refer to different positions
on the text block depending on rotation:
For R90 and R180, the X and Y starting position of
the string is in the lower left corner of the text
block.
For R270, the X and Y starting position for the
string is in the upper left corner of the text block.
NOTE: The parameters in parentheses are optional.
There are no spaces after the commas.

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See also STRING, ULTRA_FONT

Example ! 0 100 100 1

STRING 9X12 32 10 NORMAL
R90 9X12 97 16 RIGHT
R180 9X12 77 50 FLIP
R270 9X12 10 55 LEFT
END

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STRING
Function Prints text (ASCII characters) on a label using CSI
fonts. These are non-proportional, non-compressed
bitmapped fonts.

Explicit Form STRING type(eximage,exspace,xmult,

ymult) x y characters

Implicit Form S type(eximage,exspace,xmult,ymult) x y

characters

Parameters type Specifies the basic font size, in dots.

There are seven font sizes: 3X5, 5X7,
8X8, 9X12, 12X16, 18X23, and
24X31.
The number preceding the X is the
approximate character width. The
number following the X is the
character height. You can specify
the font type just by height, if you
wish.
Not all printers support all fonts.
Refer to Table 3, Printer Font
Support for more information.
NOTE: The 3X5 and 24X31 fonts are
uppercase only.

x y Horizontal and vertical starting

position for the upper left corner of
the first character in a string.
character ASCII string to be printed.
s
The following parameters are contained in
parentheses and are optional:
eximage Produces bolder forms of all
character sets by printing the
character the number of times
specified, offset by one dot column

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each time. When using this modifier

you must specify values for
exspace, xmult, and ymult. The
allowable range is 1 to 9. For normal
boldness, use a value of 1.
exspace Modifies the spacing between
characters. Specify values for xmult
and ymult when using exspace.
The allowable range is 1 to 9. For
normal spacing, use a value of 1.
xmult Independently expands the width of
any font. The allowable range is 0 to
9 (0 multiplies by 10), except for the
18X23 and 24X31 fonts, which have
ranges of 1 to 8. When using this
modifier you must also specify a
value for ymult. For normal font
width, use a value of 1.
ymult Independently expands the height of
any font. Range 0 to 9 (0 multiplies
by 10) except for the 18X23 and
24X31 fonts, which have ranges of 1
to 8. When using this option you
must specify a value for xmult. For
normal font height, use a value of 1.
Comments Text printed with the STRING command is always
horizontal on the label. To print rotated text, use
the R90, R180, R270, TEXT, or ULTRA_FONT
commands.

Some string font characters use slightly more space

on the printer's memory grid than the font
dimensions indicate. The space occupied by each
character is called a cell. The table below shows the
cell size for each font type.

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Font Type Cell Size

3X5 4X5
5X7 6X7
8X8 8X8
9X12 9X12
12X16 13X16
18X23 19X23
24X31 25X31

When programming label formats, you can

calculate the exact amount of space required by text
blocks using the cell sizes shown.

NOTE: Use of the eximage, exspace,

xmultiplier, or ymultiplier string modifiers
will change the font cell size.

STRING fonts are stored in user-accessible memory in

many printers, and are handled as stored objects. This
means they may be deleted or replaced in the field, so
the actual resident fonts may differ from those delivered
in the printer. Take this into account when using the
STRING command.

See also ROTATE, TEXT, ULTRA_FONT

Example 1 ! 0 100 100 1

PITCH 100
STRING 8X8 10 0 LETTERS
STRING 8X8(2,1,1,1) 10 10 LETTERS
STRING 8X8(1,2,1,1) 10 20 LETTERS
STRING 8X8(1,1,2,1) 10 30 LETTERS
STRING 8X8(1,1,1,2) 10 40 LETTERS
END

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Example 2 ! 0 100 100 1

PITCH 100
STRING 5X7 10 0 LETTERS - 5X7
STRING 8X8 200 0 LETTERS - 8X8
STRING 9X12 10 10 LETTERS - 9X12
STRING 12X16 200 10 LETTERS - 12X16
STRING 18X23 10 28 LETTERS - 18X23
STRING 24X31 10 53 LETTERS - 24X31
END

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TEXT
Function Prints text on a label using compressed bitmapped
fonts.

Explicit Form TEXT

fontID(spacing,rotation,xmult,ymult) x y
characters

Implicit Form T fontID(spacing,rotation,xmult,ymult) x

y characters

Parameters fontID Specifies the font family and size. The

font family loaded in most printers at
present is CG Triumvirate, with font
sizes as follows:
fontID Size (points)
0 6
1 8
2 10
3 16
4 24
5 36
6 48

NOTE: Not all printers support all fonts.

Refer to Table 3, Printer Font Support
for more information.

x y Starting position of the character

string. The point on the text block
referenced by x y varies with rotation
and justification. For left-justified text
rotated 0 and 270 degrees, the
reference point is the upper left corner
of the text block. For left justified text
rotated 90 and 180 degrees, the
reference point is the lower left corner
of the text block.
characters ASCII text to be printed.

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The following parameters are contained in

parentheses and are optional:
spacing Sets the spacing between characters.
Valid entries are 0 to 255, and set the
number of dots between
proportionally spaced characters. If a
negative sign is placed before the
spacing value, the type is spaced non-
proportionally and the spacing value
will set the character cell width.
rotation Clockwise rotation of the printed
character string. Valid entries are 0,
90, 180, and 270, with a default of 0.
xmult Expands the font width. Valid entries
are 0 to 4, with a default of 1. When
using this parameter, you must also
specify a value for ymult.
ymult Expands the font height. Valid entries
are 0 to 4, with a default of 1.
Comments The JUSTIFY command can left, center, or right
justify text printed by the TEXT command.

TEXT fonts are stored in user-accessible memory in

many printers, and are handled as stored objects.
This means they may be deleted or replaced in the
field, so the actual resident fonts may differ from
those delivered in the printer. Take this into account
when using the TEXT command.

See also STRING, R90, R180, R270, JUSTIFY, ULTRA_FONT

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Example JUSTIFY CENTER

TEXT 3 410 0 TEXT FONT
TEXT 3(0,0,1,1) 410 40 TEXT FONT
TEXT 3(10,0,1,1) 410 80 TEXT FONT
TEXT 3(20,0,1,1) 410 120 TEXT FONT
TEXT 3(0,0,2,1) 410 160 TEXT FONT
TEXT 3(0,0,1,2) 410 200 TEXT FONT

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TIME
Function Sets or gets data from the real-time clock in printers
so equipped. Data derived from the clock resides in
the system variable TIME.

Explicit Form TIME action

Implicit Form TE action

Parameters action Clock operation. Allowable operations

are SET, GET, and ADD, used as
follows:
TIME SET Sets the clock to the numeric time
value following the command. Specify
TE SET
the new clock time in the format
YYYY MM DD hh mm ss, where:
YYYY Desired year. Allowable
values are 1970 to 2069.
MM Desired month. Allowable
values are 01 to 12.
DD Desired day within the
month. Allowable values
are 01 to 31, as appropriate
for the specified month (for
example, a DD value of 31
is valid for month 07 but
not month 06).
hh Desired hour. Allowable
values are 00 to 23.
mm Desired minute. Allowable
values are 00 to 59.
ss Desired second. Allowable
values are 00 to 59.
TIME GET Returns the current clock time,
placing it in a system variable called
TE GET
TIME.

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TIME ADD Adds the specified interval to the last

time read by TIME GET (that is, to the
TE ADD
value currently stored in the variable
TIME). The specified time interval
must be in the form described under
TIME SET, and you must specify all
six parameters. Added intervals can
be negative or positive. Addition
starts at the seconds field, and added
values arithmetically carry or borrow
when a field over- or underflows.
TIME ? This command causes the current
time to be sent as a formatted
TE ? string back through the
communications port. For example,
“Friday 12/9/2005 12:56:51”.

IMPORTANT!
Not all printers support the TIME command, and not all
printers that support the command have a real-time clock
(this is a hardware option). Without a real-time clock, the
TIME variable will remain at zero or in an undefined
state. TIME ADD will change the value stored in TIME,
but the results are unpredictable if there is no installed
clock.

Comments You access the data provided by the clock using the
system variable TIME. This variable has formatting
parameters, allowing you to extract time data in a
variety of forms. Format the variable output by
placing a format string after the variable name and
bounding the variable and its format string with the
variable delimiter (see DELIMIT).

NOTE: TIME will not return a value unless it is followed

by formatting characters and bounded by the variable
delimiter.

Here are the allowable formatting characters you can

place after the TIME variable:

Parameter Returns

%% % character

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%a Abbreviated weekday name (Sun, Mon,

Tue)

%A Full weekday name (Sunday, Monday,

Tuesday)

%b Month name (Jan, Feb, Mar)

%B Full month name (January, February,

March)

%c Date and time using a two-digit year

(mm/dd/yy hh:mm:ss; for example,
09/25/98 15:35:20)

%C Date and time using a four-digit year

(mm/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss; for example,
09/25/1998 15:35:20)

%d Two digit day of month (1-31)

%H Two digit hour, 24 hour clock (0 - 23)

%I Two digit hour, 12 hour clock (0 - 12)

%j Three digit day of year (001 - 366)

%m Two digit month (1 - 12)

%M Two digit minute (00 - 59)

%p AM or PM

%S Two digit second (00 - 59)

%U Two digit week number, where Sunday

is the first day of the week (00 - 53)

%w Weekday where 0 is Sunday (0 - 6)

%W Digit week number, where Monday is

the first day of the week (00 - 53)

%x Date, with two-digit year (mm/dd/yy; for

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example, 05/21/98)

%X Time (hh:mm:ss; for example, 21:45:30)

%y Two-digit year without century (00 to

99)

%Y Year with century

You can use multiple formatting characters and mix

printable characters with the formatting characters,
to present the time or date in unusual ways.

See also DELIMIT

Example 1 The following example will set the printer's clock to

June 17, 2001, 3:30:00 PM:
! 0 0 0 0
TIME SET 2001 06 17 15 30 00
END

Example 2 The following label format will read the current time
from the clock, placing the value in the variable
TIME. It will then print a label showing that time,
add 4 days, 6 hours, and 17 minutes to it, and print
the result:
! 0 100 500 1
DELIMIT ~
TIME GET
TEXT 2 20 50 The current date and time are
~TIME %c~
TIME ADD 0000 00 04 06 17 00
TEXT 2 20 100 In 4 days, 6 hours, 17 minutes it
will be ~TIME %c~
END

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Example 3 The following command line will print the current

date as stored in the TIME variable, in the form
mm/dd/yy:
TEXT 2 20 100 The date is: ~TIME %m/%d/%y~

Example 4 The following command line …

FUNCID=TIMEQUERYID=69
NOBUFFER
ImpTimeQuery

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Universal Clear
Function Resets the printer to its initial power on state,
effectively the same as cycling printer power.

Explicit Form 23 23 23 23 23 67 76 69 65 82 23 23 23 23 23
(ASCII)

Parameters None

Comments Unlike other commands, you cannot send the

Universal Clear command to the printer as a
printable ASCII string of letters and/or numbers.
Most computer keyboards do not have a character
corresponding to ASCII 23.

Although you cannot type the command directly,

the host computer can send the command if it is
programmed in a high-level language. For example,
you could send Universal Clear to the printer
using the following BASIC code:

LPRINT CHR$(23); CHR$(23);CHR$(23);

CHR$(23); CHR$(23); "CLEAR"; CHR$(23);
CHR$(23); CHR$(23); CHR$(23); CHR$(23);
CHR$(13); CHR$(10)

Universal Clear only clears unprocessed data

from memory. It will not affect a label format that
is currently being printed.

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ULTRA_FONT
Function Prints text on a label, using Ultra Fonts (stroke
fonts). Unlike STRING fonts, Ultra Fonts maintain
their shape in any size and boldness. Font modifiers
can change character bolding, spacing, and rotation.
Font type C may also be italicized and "grayed."

Explicit Form ULTRA_FONT Tnnn IGz(bold,space,rot) x y

char

Implicit Form U Tnnn IGz(bold,space,rot) x y char

Parameters T Font type, A, B, or C. Type A

characters have rounded corners.
Type B characters have angled
corners. Type C resembles Helvetica
print.
IMPORTANT!
Always use uppercase characters (A, B,
or C, not a, b, or c) when specifying the
font type.

NOTE: Not all printers support all fonts.

See Table 3, Printer Font Support for
more information.

nnn Font size, in dots. This immediately

follows the font type, and may specify
both X and Y dimensions (A25X50, for
example), or just the Y dimension, in
which case X is approximately one-
half Y (as in A50). For font types A
and B, X and Y can range from 1 to
65535. Font C size can range from 40
to 700.

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x y Starting position of the printed

character string. The reference point
on the text block varies with character
rotation. For 0 and 270 degree
rotation, the X and Y starting position
of the text block is in the upper left
corner of the block. For 90 and 180
degree rotation, the X and Y starting
position of the string is in the lower
left corner of the text block.
char ASCII characters to be printed.

The following parameters are contained in

parentheses and are optional:
I Specifies italic type (use only with font
type C).
G Specifies gray scale mode, and is
followed immediately by the z
modifier. The z modifier specifies the
gray scale screen, and may be 0, 1, or
2, with 0 the lightest gray and 2 the
darkest. The default screen is 2. These
modifiers only work with font type C.
bold Printed character boldness (width of
character strokes) in dots. Allowable
range is 1 (minimum stroke width) to
255 (maximum stroke width), with a
default value of 2. A boldness of 50 at
200 DPI pitch will give a line
thickness of 50/200, or 1/4". For font
types A and B, boldness specifies
thickness for all strokes. Font type C
only bolds horizontally.

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space Number of dots between each printed

character. Valid entries are 0 to 255
and N, with a default of 1. N sets non-
proportional character spacing; that
is, each character has the same width.
Font type C does not support non-
proportional spacing.
rot Clockwise rotation of the printed
characters. Valid entries are 0, 90,
180, and 270. The default is 0.
See also JUSTIFY, STRING, ROTATE

Example JUSTIFY CENTER

ULTRA_FONT A70X160 (20,5,90) 620 300 ULTRA
ULTRA_FONT A70X160 (20,5,90) 420 300 FONTS
JUSTIFY LEFT
ULTRA_FONT A50 20 30 A50 FONT
ULTRA_FONT B50 20 90 B50 FONT
ULTRA_FONT A100 20 150 A100 FONT
ULTRA_FONT B100 20 250 B100 FONT
JUSTIFY CENTER
U A30 (4,0,0) 220 360 Ultra fonts can be
rotated,
U A30 (4,0,0) 220 400 scaled, and bolded to
U A30 (4,0,0) 220 440 produce a wide range of
U A30 (4,0,0) 220 480 unique typefaces.

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Wake-up string
Function Switches the printer from idle to active mode in
preparation for incoming data.

Explicit Form CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

C

Parameters None

Comments The 4.25" portable printers use an energy-saving

"sleep mode" to save battery power during periods
of inactivity. These printers won't accept data when
they are asleep.

Code Courier printers go to sleep immediately after

finishing the current task. Pressing the FEED
button will feed a label, after which the printer will
fall asleep again. Therefore, the wake-up string
must precede every label format.

The minimum wake-up string length depends on

the serial port baud rate and printer handshaking.
When using RTS/CTS handshaking, use 40
uppercase C's. When using XON/XOFF
handshaking, use a wake-up string at least as long
as shown in the following table.

Wake-up string length vs. baud rate

Baud Rate String Length

600 5
1200 10
2400 20
4800 40
9600 80
14400 120
19200 155
38400 310
57600 470

NOTE: Aside from a very small amount of added data

transmission time, the presence of a wake-up string

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does not adversely affect the behavior of printers that

do not require one. You may want to send a wake-up
string to every printer prior to sending your label
formats, to help assure compatibility with all printers.

See also Header line

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WIDTH
Function Sets the width of the printed label. Typically, this
command is for printing on label stock that is
narrower than the printhead.

Explicit Form WIDTH nnn

Parameters W nnn Approximate print width in hundredths of

an inch.
Comments Since data is handled in whole words, any value
specified for the WIDTH results in an actual print
width that can be expressed in 16 bits. The printer
will round up any width value to the nearest whole
word. This means that when using a print pitch of
200, the width value is rounded up to the nearest
number that is evenly divisible by 8. When using a
print pitch of 100, the width value is rounded up to
the nearest number evenly divisible by 16.

If you do not use the WIDTH command, the printer

will default to its maximum print width unless the
default width has been changed by a VARIABLE
WIDTH command.

Reducing width lets you program longer labels in a

given memory area. It can also simplify graphics
programming by reducing the number of dot
columns you need to program.

When reducing width, Code Courier printers move

the label against the left edge of the label stock as it
exits the printer. Barcode Blaster, Blaster
Advantage, and Solus printers move the label
against the right edge of the label as it exits the
printer.

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NOTE: The WIDTH command is necessary with the

Del Sol to correctly position the printing image. The
WIDTH command line must precede any command
that maps label components on the printer's memory
grid, such as STRING or BARCODE.

High speed Barcode Blasters automatically disable

high speed printing when they encounter this
command in a label format.

See also VARIABLE WIDTH

Example ! 0 100 100 1

STRING 8X8 0 0 THIS IS
STRING 8X8 0 10 WITHOUT
STRING 8X8 0 20 THE WIDTH
STRING 8X8 0 30 COMMAND
END

! 0 100 100 1
WIDTH 80
STRING 8X8 0 0 THIS IS
STRING 8X8 0 10 WITH
STRING 8X8 0 20 THE WIDTH
STRING 8X8 0 30 COMMAND
END

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 Chapter

4
Storing Data in the Printer
Memory
Commands discussed in this section allow you to store label formats and
graphics in the printer's memory for later use. Internal data storage can
help improve label throughput and may also simplify programming in
some applications.

NOTE: Internal data storage capability is an optional feature. Not all printers
accept these commands, and due to hardware limitations, some printers that
accept the commands may not successfully store data. Refer to Table 1,
Printer Command Compatibility for more information.

Before Using Data Storage Commands

Before using internal data storage, please note that:

• Changing the Text or Overflow Buffer sizes will delete objects

stored in the image buffer. This will not affect normal stored
formats or graphics, but will affect enhanced stored formats.
• Storing objects will leave unknown images in memory.
Normal label printing will clear these images, but if you use
background mode or the !+ header line mode you must clear
the spurious images from memory first. (See Header line.)
• Storage commands let you specify what memory area will
receive the stored object. The memory area is specified as
parameter xx, with the following memory areas available:
Memory Area
0 Volatile RAM
1 Reserved for future firmware releases
2 Expanded Memory
3 Nonvolatile RAM

NOTE: Cognitive does not recommend using volatile RAM for stored objects,
since objects stored in volatile RAM is lost when the printer is turned off.

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However, you may want to use volatile RAM to store variables or objects that
will change frequently.

• When using volatile RAM for object storage, you must allocate
space for that purpose. Refer to the VARIABLE ALLOCATE
command for more information.
• You must assign an alphanumeric identifier to every stored
object. The identifier can be from one to eight characters long,
using any combination of letters and numbers (no
punctuation). If an object in memory already uses the
specified identifier, the printer deletes the existing object
before storing the new one, even if the two objects would
reside in different memory areas.
Also notice that some of these commands are used in place of the normal
label format header line, rather than as ASCII commands within a label
format. Commands starting with an exclamation point (!) should be
treated as header line replacements.

Data Storage Commands

Data storage commands discussed in this guide include:
Delete Stored Object List Stored Objects
Format Recall DELIMIT
Format Store DEFINE VARIABLE
GRAPHIC Recall Menu
GRAPHIC STORE
RECALL GRAPHIC Recall Variable
Initialize Storage

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Delete Stored Object

Function Deletes a stored object from memory.

NOTE: This command replaces the normal header line.

Do not use any other commands, including the END
command, with this command.

Explicit Form !D identifier

Parameters identifier Stored object identifier assigned

when the object was first stored.
Comments None

Example The following command will search all available

memory areas for a stored object named FORM_1,
and then delete the object from memory.
!D FORM_1

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Format Recall
Function Recalls a stored format from memory, merges any
incoming variable data with the stored data, and
prints labels as required.

NOTE: This command replaces the normal header line.

Do not use any other commands, including the END
command, with this command.

Explicit Form !R t identifier x 100 maxY numlabels

Parameters t Data types. Use F for standard

ASCII format files and E for
enhanced format files.
NOTE: When recalling stored formats,
use the same value for t as was used
when the format was stored.
Specifying the wrong data type when
recalling a stored format may cause
the label to print incorrectly.

identifier Object identifier assigned when the

object was stored.
Comments If variable data is needed to print the finished label,
the printer will expect the required data to follow
the Format Recall command. A carriage return or
carriage return and line feed must precede the
variable data.

See also Header line

Example The following example assumes that the label

format FORM_1 shown in the Format Store
example is already stored in the printer.
!R F FORM_1 0 100 170 1
MEN'S DRESS SHIRT
$17.85
SHIRT/$17.85

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Format Store
Function Stores a label format in a specified memory area.
The stored format can be recalled and printed with
the Format Recall command.

There are two general types of stored formats:

standard and enhanced. The printer stores
standard formats as ASCII data only. Enhanced
stored formats are stored as fully mapped images in
the image buffer, as well as ASCII data in the
specified memory area. This improves label
throughput if the stored data plots a very complex
label.

Explicit Form !Sd xx tnnn Identifier

Parameters d Variable field delimiter.

This can be any printable character
except a carriage return or line feed.
Within the label format that follows,
the data between the delimiter
character and the end of the line will
not be printed with the rest of the
label. Instead, it is sent to the
printer's serial port to prompt the
user for input when the label is
recalled with the Format Recall
command.
If user input is not desired, the data
used to fill the fields delimited by d
can be supplied with the Format
Recall command. The printer fills
the fields with the data as it is
received.

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Placing two variable field delimiters

in a row creates a repeating field;
i.e., will cause the printer to use the
variable data from the previous
variable field in the current field.
This feature may be useful if you
want to print the same data using
two different fonts, or want to print
the data as a rotated bar code and
non-rotated text.
NOTE: Do try to make the first field in
a stored format a repeating field (since
there is no data to repeat). Do not
place any text after the variable field
delimiter when creating a repeating
field.

When using enhanced format

storage, the variable field delimiter
also separates the fixed data
commands from the variable data
commands. Put all commands that
define variable fields at the end of
the data file. Precede all of these
commands with a single line that
only contains the variable field
delimiter.
xx Numeric identifier for the desired
memory storage area.
t Data type. F indicates standard
ASCII format files. E indicates
enhanced format files. If storing an
enhanced format, the E must be
followed by the nnn parameter.
nnn Number of dot rows the stored
format will plot. Only use this
parameter when programming an
enhanced stored format; that is,
with the E data type.

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NOTE: Determine nnn using the

number of dot rows actually occupied
by the stored object, rather than from
the number of dot rows available on
the physical label. Memory space
reserved by nnn is unavailable for
other uses. Specifying too large a
value wastes image buffer space.

Storing multiple enhanced formats

can quickly use up the image buffer.
Enhanced formats will not be stored
if the total space occupied by all
enhanced stored objects exceeds the
total image buffer space.
identifier Alphanumeric identifier for the
stored data. Must be eight or fewer
printable characters with no spaces.
Comments This command replaces the normal label format
header line. Normal header line parameters, like
dot time, dot rows, and number of labels, are
provided with the Format Recall command. The
Format Recall command cannot have any other
commands with it, so almost everything necessary
to define the label must accompany the Format
Store command.

The RECALL GRAPHIC command is allowed within

stored formats. You can put stored graphics within
stored ASCII formats (normal or enhanced) by
using GRAPHIC STORE to store the graphic in the
usual manner, then using RECALL GRAPHIC within
the stored format.

Use comments sparingly or not at all within stored

formats, since comments use one byte of memory
space per character and do not affect label printing.

See also Format Recall

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Example 1 The following commands store the format that

prints the label in the Format Recall example. Data
is still needed for the description, price, and
combined item/price. The printer will send prompts
for this data to the serial port at print time. This is
a standard stored format; notice that commands
that define fixed data are freely mixed with
commands that define variable data.
!S~ 3 F FORM_1
WIDTH 224
JUSTIFY CENTER
ULTRA_FONT A24 (3,2,0) 224 0 ~DESCRIPTION>
STRING 18X23 29 30 SALE PRICE:
JUSTIFY LEFT
ULTRA_FONT A50 (5,2,0) 240 30 ~PRICE>
BARCODE CODE39X 20 150 60 ~ITEM/PRICE>
END

Example 2 This file stores the same label using enhanced

format storage. Notice that all commands specifying
variable data are grouped at the end of the file and
separated from the fixed data commands by the
delimiter character (the \ character in this case).
Do not send prompts to the printer when using
enhanced format storage.
!S\ 3 E220 EFORM_1
WIDTH 224
JUSTIFY CENTER
STRING 18X23 29 30 SALE PRICE:
\
ULTRA_FONT A24 (3,2,0) 224 0 \
JUSTIFY LEFT
ULTRA_FONT A50 (5,2,0) 240 30 \
BARCODE CODE39X 20 150 60 \
END

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GRAPHIC STORE
Function Stores the graphics file following the command in
the specified memory area

NOTE: Use this command with a dummy header line,

and do not use an END command or any other
commands with it. The graphics data to be stored must
immediately follow the GRAPHIC STORE command.

Explicit Form GRAPHIC STORE Type xx Identifier

Parameters Type Graphic file type. Allowable types

are PCX, BMP, and LOGO
(proprietary CSI graphics format).
xx Numeric identifier for the desired
memory storage area.
identifier Stored object identifier assigned
when the object was first stored.
Comments The printer waits for graphics data after it receives
the GRAPHIC STORE command. Incoming data
following the GRAPHIC STORE command is stored
in the specified memory area. The printer
automatically reverts to normal data input
processing when it sees the end of the graphics file.

Use the RECALL GRAPHIC command to recall and

print the graphic on labels. The printer only prints
black-and-white graphics. Also, graphics are
printed full-scale, with each image dot
corresponding to one printed dot.

See also RECALL GRAPHIC

Example The following commands will store following

graphics data in nonvolatile RAM as IMAGE_1.
! 0 0 0 0
GRAPHIC STORE BMP 3 IMAGE_1

RECALL GRAPHIC

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Function Recalls a stored graphic from memory and prints

labels as required.

NOTE: Use this command with a dummy header line,

and do not use an END command or any other
commands with it. The graphics data to be stored must
immediately follow the GRAPHIC STORE command.

Explicit Form RECALL GRAPHIC Identifier x y

Parameters identifier Stored object identifier assigned

when the object was first stored.
x y Starting position of the printed
graphic; normally its upper-left
corner. (The JUSTIFY command can
position the graphic right, left, or
center of the specified coordinates.)
Comments None

See also GRAPHIC STORE

Example The following label format will print a graphic

stored as IMAGE_1 at location 30, 10:
! 0 100 500 1
RECALL GRAPHIC IMAGE_1 30 10
END

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Initialize Storage
Function Clears all stored objects from the specified memory
area in preparation for new data.

NOTE: This command replaces the normal header line.

Do not use any other commands, including the END
command, with this command.

Explicit Form !I xx

Parameters xx Numeric identifier for the memory

area to be cleared.
Comments None

Example The following command will clear nonvolatile RAM

of all stored objects:
!I 3

NOTE: STRING fonts and TEXT fonts are stored

objects in most printers that use flash memory (that is,
most printers that actually support stored objects). As
shipped from the factory, these fonts are stored in
memory area 3 (nonvolatile RAM). Initializing memory
area 3 will remove STRING fonts and TEXT fonts from
memory.

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List Stored Objects

Function Scans all memory areas for stored objects (label
formats and graphics), then prints a list of all the
objects, their size in bytes, their memory location,
and the amount of available memory in each
memory area.

NOTE: This command replaces the normal header line.

Do not use any other commands, including the END
command, with this command.

Explicit Form !L

Parameters !LS Lists the stored objects and prints

them to the serial/USB port.
Comments None

Example !L

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DELIMIT
Function Specifies the delimiter used to isolate variables
within command lines.

Explicit Form DELIMIT C

Parameters C Delimiter character. This is a single

ASCII character, and must have an
ASCII value greater than decimal
32, that is, no control characters or
spaces are allowed. You must
declare the delimiter if you use
variables. There is no default
delimiter character.
Comments Define the delimiter character before using any
variables in a label format. The delimiter character
must precede and follow every variable and its
associated parameters.

NOTE: Choose the delimiter character carefully. Avoid

using a character that you will need for other purposes
within the label format. Especially avoid using the
percent sign (%) as a delimiter. It is used within some
system variables, making its use as a delimiter
inconvenient in many applications.

See also DEFINE_VAR

Example The following label format declares the @ sign as

the variable delimiter, then uses the system
variable TIME to print the current time:
! 0 100 590 1
DELIMIT @
TIME GET
TEXT 2 20 The time is @TIME %X@
END

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DEFINE VARIABLE
Function Defines a variable for use within printer commands
in a label format. When the printer encounters a
variable in a command line, it replaces the variable
name with entered or stored data. It can also
(optionally) send a prompt for data to the user via the
serial port.

Explicit Form DEFINE_VAR location id length type range

alignpad "prompt" "initial"

Implicit Form DR location id length type range alignpad

"prompt" "initial"

Parameters location Memory location to store the defined

variable. The following memory areas
are available:
Location Memory Area
0 Volatile RAM
1 Reserved
2 Expanded Memory
3 Nonvolatile RAM

NOTE: Use the VARIABLE

ALLOCATE command to reserve space
in memory area 0 (volatile RAM).

id The variable name. This must be

eight or fewer ASCII alphanumeric
characters, with the first character an
uppercase or lowercase letter (A - Z or
a - z)
NOTE: The printer has several
predefined variables. You may not use
these variable names when defining
variables.

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length The maximum number of characters

that are accepted as variable data.
Allowable values are 1 to 32767, but
available printer memory may impose
a lower practical limit on this
parameter. The DEFINE_VAR
command also has a maximum line
length of 254 characters, which will
limit the variable length if it must be
initialized.
type Variable type. Available types are:
P Protected. The printer
will not prompt the user
to change the variable
value. The value can only
be changed by a Recall
Variable command.
C Counter. A protected
variable that can be
changed by the ADJUST
command. Store counter
variables in memory
areas 2 or 3 only.
D Dynamic. The printer
will prompt the user for a
value at print time, and
will retain the entered
value for future use.
Store dynamic variables
in memory area 0 only.
T Temporary. The printer
will prompt the user for a
value at print time and
erase the value after
printing the label format.
Store temporary
variables in memory area
0 only.

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range Input range specifier. Available

specifiers are:
A Only allows alphabetic
characters
N Only allows alphabetic
and numeric characters
(no punctuation)
X Allows any character
# Allows signed or
unsigned whole numbers
(no decimal point)
You can specify a range for alphabetic
or numeric variables by adding
minimum and maximum values
within double quotes. For example, #
"100" "199" allows numeric values
between 100 and 199 inclusive. The
range specifier A "BOB" "DUN" will
allow BOG, DUD, or COG, but will
not allow JAG. The range specifiers
must both have the same number of
digits or characters. Range checking is
character-by-character, based on each
character's ASCII value.
align Specifies the position of the variable
data within the specified length.
Allowable values are:
L Places the data at the left
end of the space specified
by length parameter,
filling the remaining
space to the right with
the character specified by
pad.

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R Places the data at the

right end of the space
specified by length
parameter, filling the
remaining space to the
left with the character
specified by pad.
C Places the data in the
center of the space
specified by length
parameter, filling the
remaining space on both
sides with the character
specified by pad.
N Tells the printer to ignore
the length parameter so
the variable data only
occupies the space it
actually needs.

pad Specifies the character that is used to

fill any space allocated by the length
parameter that is not occupied by
actual variable data. This is an
optional parameter, and immediately
follows the align parameter with no
intervening spaces. If pad is omitted,
the pad character is the space
character (ASCII 20).

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“prompt” ASCII text that the printer sends to

the serial port when ready to receive
data for the defined variable. Enclose
the prompt text with quotation marks
("). If no prompt is desired, enter two
quotation marks ("") with no
characters between them.
To include quotation marks within
the prompt, precede the internal
quotation mark with a backslash (\).
Use two consecutive backslashes (\\)
to include a backslash within the
prompt.
“initial” Starting value for the defined
variable. Enclose the starting value
with quotation marks (") as described
for "prompt" above.
Comments Replacing a fixed value in a printer command with a
variable tells the printer to plot the label element
using data entered or recalled at print time, rather
than data written in the label format when it was
programmed.

When using a variable name within a label format,

you must enclose it with the delimiter character
defined by the DELIMIT command

See also Recall Variable, DELIMIT

Example The following command defines a dynamic variable

called customer, with a maximum length of 20,
alphabetic type, no alignment, no initial value:
DEFINE_VAR 0 customer 20 A N "Enter customer:"
""

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Recall Menu
Function Recalls a stored menu from memory and initiates
its execution.

NOTE: This command replaces the normal header line.

Do not use any other commands, including the END
command, with this command. Also, take care that no
extraneous control characters follow the command; the
printer may interpret them as menu control characters.

Explicit Form !R M menuname

Parameters menuname Alphanumeric identifier under

which the menu was originally
stored. This identifier can be up to
eight characters long.
Comments Called menus remain active until the user
manually cancels their action or until the printer
processes a MENU EXIT command.

See also MENU START, MENU EXIT, MENU CONTROL

Example The following label format will start execution of a

menu called MAIN:
!R M MAIN

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Recall Variable
Function Recalls a stored variable for user input. The printer
will send the associated prompt to the serial port
and await user input when it encounters this
command.

NOTE: This command replaces the normal header line.

Do not use any other commands, including the END
command, with this command.

Explicit Form !R V identity

Parameters identity Alphanumeric identifier under

which the variable was originally
stored.
Comments Use this command within menus to change the
value of protected variables.

Note: You must define a prompt for the variable in the

DEFINE VARIABLE command in order for a prompt
to appear when executing the Recall Variable
command.

See also DEFINE VARIABLE, DELIMIT

Example The following command will prompt the user to

enter a value for a variable called password:
!R V password

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5
Menu Commands
A menu lets the user control the printer at print time through a set of
predefined choices. Menus are typically used when the printer is
connected to a simple controlling device, such as a keyboard/display
unit.

IMPORTANT!
Menu programming is inherently complex, and is only useful if the user must
control the printer with a non-programmable device (such as a dumb terminal
or keyboard). As a general rule, Cognitive does not recommend programming
menus in the printer if there is processing power available in the host.

Menus are stored objects. Familiarize yourself with the proper use of stored
objects before attempting to program menus.

Menu Operation
During menu execution, the printer sends text descriptions associated
with menu items ("prompts") to the printer serial port and waits for
user input. The user responds to the menu by making a selection, which
the controller then sends back to the printer by way of the serial port.
Choose a menu using one of the following methods:

Scroll to the item and selecting it using keys as defined by the MENU
CONTROL command.

Enter the number of a menu item. All menu items have a single-digit
number associated with them. The printer assigns this number
automatically, based upon the menu item location within the menu.
Menu items that do not have a visible prompt are still selectable by item
number.

The printer executes printer commands contained in the menu

definition based on the user's selection. Each menu item can have one or
many standard printer commands associated with it; thus, the printer
can perform complex tasks in response to a menu selection. They can
even call printer commands without any user-selectable menu items,

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behaving much like stored label formats. Menus can call other menus,
and can also recall and print stored objects or data.

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Menu Programming
Menus generally conform to the following structure:
! 0 0 0 0
MENU CONTROL cn nx pr sl
MENU START x menuname
MENU ITEM "item1"
MENU ACTION command parameters
MENU ACTION command parameters
MENU EXIT
MENU ITEM "item2"
MENU ACTION command parameters
MENU ITEM "item3"
MENU ACTION command parameters
...
MENU END
END
MENU CONTROL is an optional command that defines the four keyboard
keys that scroll the menu, select menu items, and exit the menu. If
used, it must appear before the MENU START command. MENU START
signals the beginning of the menu, and MENU END signals the end of the
menu. All commands bounded by MENU START and MENU END define
menu prompts and actions.

MENU ACTIONs generally follow MENU ITEMs. If no MENU ITEMs are

present, the menu will simply execute the MENU ACTIONs in sequence
without input from the operator. The effect is similar to using a stored
label format.

MENU EXIT commands will terminate execution of the current menu, at

which time the printer will continue executing the remaining
commands in the label format that called the menu.

Menus cannot be nested within other menus, but they can call other
menus.

Menus are stored objects. They must be stored in memory before they
are called by the Recall Menu command. They follow all of the usual
rules for stored objects.

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Menu Command List

MENU ACTION
MENU CONTROL
MENU END
MENU EXIT
MENU ITEM
MENU MESSAGE
MENU START
Recall Menu

NOTE: There is no underscore between MENU and the sub-command name.

For example, MENU ACTION is correct; MENU_ACTION is incorrect.

Several other commands are especially useful when programming

menus. These commands include the following:
DELIMIT
DEFINE VARIABLE
VARIABLE ALLOCATE
QUANTITY
Recall Variable
List Stored Objects

For further information about these menu commands, refer to Standard

Printer Commands.

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MENU ACTION
Function Specifies one or more commands that the printer
will execute when the user selects the associated
MENU ITEM. Any legitimate printer commands are
allowed (including the Recall Menu command).
The printer commands and associated parameters
embedded within the MENU ACTION command
must be bounded by quotation marks.

Explicit Form MENU ACTION “command parameters

Implicit Form MU ACTION “command parameters”

Parameters command Any legitimate printer command

parameters Parameters required by command

Comments Quotation marks (") must precede and follow the

command and its parameters. If you want to
include quoted text within the command, precede
each quotation mark within the command with a
backslash (\). To include a backslash within the
command, use two backslashes (\\). Indicate the
end of the command line with \n. This is the
character substitution for line feed. To send a
carriage return without line feed, use \r.

You can place any number of MENU ACTION

commands after one MENU ITEM command. The
printer will process all MENU ACTIONs that follow
the selected MENU ITEM until it encounters the next
MENU ITEM. Thus, the printer can execute complex
operations using multiple MENU ACTIONs, but the
most common use of the command is to call another
menu or recall a stored label format.

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If the printer finds a format header line within a

MENU ACTION, it will expect all commands
associated with that header line, up to and
including the END command, to immediately follow
within the same MENU ACTION command. You
cannot split a label format over multiple MENU
ACTION commands.

Menus can contain MENU ACTION commands

without any MENU ITEM commands. The printer
will execute commands within such menus without
operator intervention.

See also MENU ITEM, Recall Menu, Date Storage

commands

Example 1 The following line will call a menu named MAIN

when the user selects its associated menu item.
When the printer finishes MAIN, control returns to
the next menu command in the calling menu:
MENU ACTION "!R M MAIN \n"

Example 2 The following line will recall and print one copy of a
stored label format called LBL_ONE when the user
selects its associated menu item:
MENU ACTION "!R F LBL_ONE 0 100 570 1\n"

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Example 3 The following label format will store a menu called

MENU_ONE. Each MENU ACTION command will print
a different label:
! 0 0 0 0
MENU START 3 MENU_ONE
MENU ITEM "Print label 1 \r"
MENU ACTION "! 100 90 1\nW 224\n U A24 20 20
Label 1\nE\n"
MENU ITEM "Print label 2 \r"
MENU ACTION "! 100 90 1\nW 224\n U A24 20 20
Label 2\nE\n"
MENU ITEM "Print label 3 \r"
MENU ACTION "! 100 90 1\nW 224\n U A24 20 20
Label 3\nE\n"
MENU END
END

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MENU CONTROL
Function Specifies the characters used to exit, "scroll," or
select an item from a menu. In most applications,
these characters are chosen by pressing the four
keys on the external keyboard that correspond to
keyboard functions "cancel," next," "previous," and
"select."

Explicit Form MENU CONTROL cn nx pr se

Implicit Form MU CONTROL cn nx pr se

Parameters cn The decimal ASCII value of the character

used to cancel the current action. The
default value for cn is 27 (the ESC key).
nx The decimal ASCII value of the character
used to scroll to the next menu item. The
default value for nx is 78 (the N key).
pr The decimal ASCII value of the character
used to scroll to the previous menu item.
The default value for pr is 80 (the P key).
se The decimal ASCII value of the character
used to select the current menu item. The
default value for se is 13 (the ENTER
key).
Comments Menu items will only appear on the display if you
specify a prompt string in the MENU ITEM
command.

The printer stores the control characters specified

by the MENU CONTROL command in a menu called
_MENUC_.

See also MENU ITEM

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Example The following command tells the printer to use the

"q", period, comma, and "a" keys for the cancel,
next, previous, and select functions:
MENU CONTROL 113 46 44 97

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MENU END
Function Signals the end of the menu definition. The printer
will store the menu defined by the commands
between MENU START and MENU END under
the identifier specified in MENU START.

NOTE: This command does not terminate menu

execution. Use MENU EXIT for that.

Explicit Form MENU END

Implicit Form MU END

Parameters None

Comments The printer interprets all commands between

MENU START and MENU END as part of the
menu.

See also MENU START, MENU ITEM, MENU EXIT, MENU

ACTION

Example MENU END

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MENU EXIT
Function Signals the printer to terminate menu processing.
The printer then processes any remaining
commands in the label format that called the menu.

Explicit Form MENU EXIT

Implicit Form MU EXIT

Parameters None

Comments The printer only interprets MENU EXIT if the

command is placed between the MENU START and
MENU END commands.

See also MENU START, MENU END, Recall Menu

Example MENU EXIT

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MENU ITEM
Function Marks the beginning of a sequence of commands
that will execute when the user selects the item
from a programmed printer menu, and (optionally)
defines text the printer will display when offering
the menu to the user. The printer will send this text
to the serial port when processing the stored menu,
allowing the user to select the item either by item
number or by menu scrolling.

Explicit Form MENU ITEM “prompt”

Implicit Form MU ITEM “prompt”

Parameters "prompt" is ASCII text that the printer will send

to the serial port when the printer encounters the
MENU ITEM command. Any printable ASCII
character is allowed. Begin and end the text with
quotation marks ("). If you wish to include quoted
text within the prompt, precede each quotation
mark within the prompt with a backslash (\). To
include a backslash within the prompt, use two
backslashes (\\).
If no prompt is desired, enter two sets of quotation
marks ("") with no text or spaces between them. The
menu item will still exist and may be called by
number (see below), but no prompt or space will
appear for the item when the printer processes the
MENU ITEM command.

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Comments MENU ITEM commands are only allowed between

MENU START and MENU END commands (that is,
only within menus). Up to ten menu items are
allowed in each menu. The printer assigns a
number to every menu item, with item 1 being the
first item in the menu, item 2 the second item, etc.
The tenth item is item 0.

One or more MENU ACTION commands must follow

every MENU ITEM command. MENU ACTION
commands program the printer to perform specific
actions when the user chooses the menu item. The
printer will process the MENU ACTIONs that follow
the selected MENU ITEM up to the next MENU ITEM.
The printer will then wait for further user input.

See also MENU START, MENU ACTION, MENU END

Example The following commands define a simple menu

called PRT_LBL to select and print one of two stored
label formats:
! 0 0 0 0
MENU START 3 PRT_LBL
MENU ITEM "print return address label"
MENU ACTION "!R F RTNLBL 0 100 570 1\n"
MENU ITEM "print shipping label"
MENU ACTION "!R F SHPLBL 0 100 570 1\n"
MENU END
END

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MENU MESSAGE
Function This causes text to be output to the serial port. It
can be used to provide instructions to the user.

Explicit Form MENU MESSAGE "...."

Implicit Form MU MESSAGE "...."

Parameters None

Comments

See also

Example cpTextData “...”

FUNCID=MENUMESSAGEFUNCID=17
STDBUFFERSIZE
ImpMenuMessage

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MENU START
Function Signals the beginning of a menu definition and
specifies the menu storage location and identifier.

NOTE: This command does not execute the menu; the

command only prepares the printer to receive the menu
for storage. Use Recall Menu to execute stored
menus.

Explicit Form MENU START x menuname

Implicit Form MU START x menuname

Parameters x Storage location. You can store

menus in the following memory
areas:
x Location

0 Volatile RAM

1 Reserved

2 Expanded Memory

3 Nonvolatile RAM

menuname The menu identifier can be up to

eight alphanumeric characters. The
first character must be an uppercase
or lowercase letter (A-Z or a-z).
The menu name __BOOT__ (the
word BOOT preceded and followed
by two underscore characters) is
reserved for an autostart routine.
Use this menu name only if you
want the printer to execute the
menu automatically on power-up.
The printer will always try to
execute __BOOT__ when it is
powered on or reset, provided that

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the printhead is closed.

NOTE: To circumvent a programmed

__BOOT__ menu, reset or apply
power to the printer with the printhead
open.

The menu name _MENUC_ is

reserved for storage of the MENU
CONTROL characters. Do not use this
name for your own menu.
Comments The printer interprets all commands between MENU
START and MENU END as part of the menu.

See also Recall Menu, MENU END

Example The following command marks the beginning of a

menu called MAIN, which is stored in nonvolatile
RAM (memory area 3):
MENU START 3 MAIN

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Recall Menu
Function Recalls a stored menu from memory and initiates
its execution

Explicit Form !R M menuname

NOTE: This command replaces the normal header line.

Do not use any other commands, including the END
command, with this command. Also, take care that no
extraneous control characters follow the command. The
printer may interpret them as menu control characters.

Parameters menuname is the alphanumeric identifier under

which the menu was originally stored. This
identifier can be up to eight characters long.
Comments Called menus remain active until the user
manually cancels their action or until the printer
processes a MENU EXIT command.

See also MENU START, MENU EXIT, MENU CONTROL

Example The following label format will start execution of a

menu called MAIN:
!R M MAIN

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6
Printer Setup (VARIABLE)
Commands
VARIABLE commands let you change some of the printer's
characteristics. These changes stay in effect until the printer is turned
off or until they are changed by another VARIABLE command.

NOTE: Do not confuse VARIABLE commands that control the printer with
variable values which are used to represent data.

Variable Command Rules

It is important to follow a few fundamental rules when using the
VARIABLE commands:

• Enter all VARIABLE commands in upper case letters.

• Place any VARIABLE commands immediately after the header
line in the label format.
• Enter all VARIABLE commands exactly as shown in the
command descriptions. VARIABLE may be abbreviated as V,
but do not use any other abbreviations unless specifically
allowed in the command description.
• As a general rule, avoid using VARIABLE commands in stored
label formats. A few VARIABLE commands that control label
appearance (for example, VARIABLE DARKNESS) are
permissible in stored formats, but there is little advantage to
using them there. It is better to use conventional label
formats for printer setup.
• Use VARIABLE WRITE and VARIABLE COMM only in non-
printing label formats. Some other VARIABLE commands will
not work well except in non-printing formats. These cases are
noted in the command descriptions.

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• If you add ? at the end of any variable command, the printer

will respond at the serial or USB port and return the current
setting.
NOTE: All VARIABLE commands, and especially the VARIABLE WRITE
command, should be used with care since they can change the data in the
printer's nonvolatile RAM.

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You will probably need to use a few VARIABLE commands as a matter

of routine, to set the printer up for various types of print media or print
methods. We have prepared some sample label formats to cover these
common requirements.

Variable Command List

The printer VARIABLE commands are listed below.
VARIABLE ALLOCATE VARIABLE OFF AFTER
VARIABLES ON/OFF
VARIABLE AUTOCUT VARIABLE PITCH
VARIABLE_AUXPOWER VARIABLE POSITION
VARIABLE BACKLIGHT
VARIABLE BEEPER
VARIABLE BUFFER_TIMED_RESET
VARIABLE COMM VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL
VARIABLE CONTRAST
VARIABLE DARKNESS VARIABLE PRINT_MODE
VARIABLE ENERGY
VARIABLE FEED_TYPE VARIABLE READ
VARIABLE RECALIBRATE
VARIABLE HIGHSPEED VARIABLE REPORT_LEVEL
VARIABLE INDEX VARIABLE RESET
VARIABLE IRDA
VARIABLE IRDA COMM
VARIABLE IRDA PROTOCOL
VARIABLE INDEX SETTINGS
VARIABLE SLEEP_AFTER
VARIABLE LOWSPEED VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT
VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST VARIABLE TEXT BUFFER
VARIABLE MODE VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK
VARIABLE NO_MEDIA VARIABLE WIDTH
VARIABLE NORMAL VARIABLE WRITE

Several other commands are especially useful when using the

VARIABLE commands These commands include the following:
PROMPTS
DATASKIP

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VARIABLE ALLOCATE
Function Reserves space in the image buffer for stored
objects.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ALLOCATE nnn.

Implicit Form V ALLOCATE nnn.

Parameters nnn Amount of memory reserved for

stored objects, in whole kilobytes.
The allowable range is 0 to 128.
Comments Flash RAM normally holds all stored objects
(graphics and stored formats). The printer reserves
all available standard RAM for the text buffer and
image buffer. This may not be the best use of
standard RAM in some applications. VARIABLE
ALLOCATE lets the programmer to put stored
objects in part of the image buffer.

When using this command, send it to the printer

with VARIABLE WRITE in a nonprinting label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

NOTE: Changing the memory allocation in the image

buffer or text buffer will delete any objects stored in
those areas.

Example The label format below will reserve 4 kilobytes (kb)

in the image buffer for object storage:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE ALLOCATE 4
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE AUTOCUT
Function Enables or disables automatic label cutting in
printers so equipped. With automatic label cutting
enabled, the printer will cut the label after printing
the last dot row. With automatic label cutting
disabled, the printer will not cut the label unless
there is a HALT command in the label format.

Explicit Form VARIABLE AUTOCUT status

Implicit Form V AUTOCUT status

Parameters status Automatic cutter status. ON enables

automatic label cutting; OFF
disables label cutting.
Comments When enabled, automatic label cutting has the
same effect as placing a HALT command in every
label format. The printer will cut and pause after
printing each label in a batch. Removing the cut
label or pressing the FEED button will signal the
printer to print the next label in the batch.

When using this command, send it to the printer

with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

See also HALT

Example The format below will enable automatic label

cutting:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE AUTOCUT ON
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE AUXPOWER
Function This command turns is used to control the 5 volt
power applied to pin 9 of the serial port connector.
This voltage can supply up to 400 milliamps at 5
volts to equipment attached to the serial port
connector such as a scanner or keyboard.

Explicit Form VARIABLE AUXPOWER on/off/?

Implicit Form V AUXPOWER on/off/?

Parameters

Comments •

Example
cpEnumStack[0] on/off/? (OnOffStat)

FUNCID=VARAUXPOWERID=114
NOBUFFER
ImpAuxPower

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VARIABLE BACKLIGHT
Function This command indicates whether the LCD
backlight should come on when a button is pressed
or the display text changes. If enabled, the
backlight only stays on for 3 seconds.

Explicit Form VARIABLE BACKLIGHT on/off/?

Implicit Form V BACKLIGHT on/off/?

Parameters

Comments •

Example
cpEnumStack[0] on/off/? (OnOffStat)

FUNCID=VARBACKLIGHTID=166
NOBUFFER
ImpVarBacklight

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VARIABLE BEEPER
Function This command sets the volume and duration of the
beeper.

Explicit Form VARIABLE BEEPER on/off/? [volume]

[duration]

Implicit Form V BEEPER on/off/? [volume] [duration]

Parameters duration Duration is in 10ths of a second.

Comments •

Example
lLongStackCount 0, 1 or 2
lEnumStackCount 1

lpLongStack[0] volume (BeeperVolumeRange)

lpLongStack[1] duration (BeeperDurationRange)
cpEnumStack[0] on/off/? (OnOffStat)

FUNCID=VARBEEPERID=164
NOBUFFER
ImpVarBeeper

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VARIABLE BUFFER_TIMED_RESET
Function Enables or disables the memory reset timer.

Explicit Form VARIABLE BUFFER_TIMED_RESET duration

Parameters duration Timer duration in 0.1 second

intervals. The minimum value is 2
(0.2 seconds), maximum is 59990
(about one hour and forty minutes).
The default value varies by printer
type:
Code Courier – The default value is
5 (0.5 seconds). You can also specify
the value as ON or OFF. ON will set
the timer to 8 seconds, and OFF will
set it to 512 seconds.
Barcode Blaster – The default value
is 6000 (ten minutes).
Comments The printer expects incoming data to arrive in a
timely manner. It will clear memory if it receives
the beginning of a line of data and fails to receive
the accompanying end-of-line termination (carriage
return or line feed) within the time set by
BUFFER_TIMED_RESET. Code Courier will also go to
sleep at that time. This keeps the printer from
waiting indefinitely for incoming data that was lost
due to a communications error. The timer value
may need adjustment if the printer must
communicate with a system that has unusual data
transmission timing.

When using this command, send it to the printer

with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

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Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE BUFFER_TIMED_RESET OFF
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE COMM
IMPORTANT!
Do not experiment with this command! Improper use can cause a loss of serial
communication with the printer.

Function Sets new serial port parameters.

Explicit Form VARIABLE COMM speed,parity,length,stop,

R

Implicit Form
V COMM speed,parity,length,stop, R

NOTE: Notice that commas are used as delimiters

between parameters, and there are no spaces. If you
are uncertain of the printer's current serial port
parameters, try 9600,N,8,2.

Parameters speed Baud rate. Acceptable values are

printer dependent, but are among
the following: 600, 1200, 2400, 4800,
9600, 14400, 19200, 38400, and
57600. Consult your printer User's
Guide for details.
parity O (Odd), E (Even), or N (None)

length Data word length. Can be 7 or 8

stop Number of stop bits. Can be 1 or 2

ROBUST or Enables robust XON/XOFF

R handshaking (see comments).
N Turns software handshaking off.

NOTE: Not all personal computers support all baud

rates. Make certain that your host system will support
your VARIABLE COMM parameters. Setting the printer
for a baud rate that your host will not support will cause
a break in communication that may be difficult to
remedy.

Cognitive printers will not support all possible parity,

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word length, and stop bit combinations. The acceptable

combinations are: N,8,1 or N,8,2 or O,7,1or O,8,1 or
E,7,1 or E,8,1.

Comments When enabled, robust XON/XOFF handshaking

causes the printer to send an XON character once
per second while it is ready to receive data. The
printer will send an XOFF character for every
character that overflows the printer's input buffer.
Enabling robust XON/XOFF handshaking also
enables double-buffered input, which allows
simultaneous label processing and data reception.
However, the double-buffered input reduces the
image buffer size by 4 KB, thus slightly reducing
the maximum label length. Also, you cannot print
PDF417 bar codes with double buffering enabled.

This feature is normally disabled. A lowercase "r"

character will print on the printer confidence label if
robust XON/XOFF is enabled.

For printers having both serial and parallel ports,

connect the host computer to the printer's parallel
port when using the VARIABLE COMM command.
You can use the printer's serial port if the printer or
host does not have a parallel port, but the host will
lose communication with the printer when the
serial port parameters change. Set the new
parameters in the host after you change the printer
parameters.

Do not send any other data to the printer when

changing serial port parameters. Do not use this
command in stored label formats.

Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE COMM 9600,N,8,2
VARIABLE WRITE
END

VARIABLE CONTRAST

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Function This command sets the contrast level on the LCD

display.

Explicit Form VARIABLE CONTRAST level/?

Implicit Form V CONTRAST level/?

Parameters

Comments •

Example
lLongStackCount 1 or 0 (query form)
lpLongStack[0] level (ContrastLevelRange)

FUNCID=VARCONTRASTID=165
NOBUFFER
ImpVarBeeper

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VARIABLE DARKNESS
Function This command changes the printhead heat, thereby
adjusting the darkness at which labels are printed.
Always use the lightest acceptable VARIABLE
DARKNESS setting to extend the life of the
printhead.

Explicit Form VARIABLE DARKNESS n

Implicit Form V D n

Parameters n Darkness value. The allowable

range varies by printer:
Barcode Blaster: -205 to +50
Solus, Blaster Advantage, and Code
Courier: -200 to +813
Lower numbers decrease print
darkness, higher numbers increase
it.
Blaster Advantage TT printers store
separate darkness values for DT and
TT mode, selecting the appropriate
darkness value depending on the
print mode as set by the VARIABLE
PRINT_MODE command.
Comments Darkness is set at the factory for optimum printing
with typical Cognitive print media. It should not
need adjustment under normal circumstances. You
may need to adjust darkness if you change print
speed or use unusual media.

When using thermal transfer printing, you may

observe the print darkness decreasing as you
increase the VARIABLE DARKNESS setting. This is
caused by excessive heat melting the ribbon dye
back onto the ribbon instead of depositing it on the
paper, and indicates that the darkness setting is far
too high. You may need to experiment with
VARIABLE DARKNESS for optimum results with

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some thermal transfer media.

Example VARIABLE DARKNESS -25

NOTE: Always print labels at the lightest acceptable

setting, to extend the life of the printhead.

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VARIABLE ENERGY
Function The printer maintains a fixed energy density of 200
mJoules independent of print speed. This command
adjusts the energy density (in units of mJoules). It
is intended to be used to compensate for media that
requires more or less energy to create images of the
proper optical density. VARIABLE DARKNESS
may be used by the customer, but this command is
intended to be an easier to use, more precise optical
density control command for the C-series printer.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ENERGY energylevel/?

Implicit Form V energylevel/?

Parameters

Comments •

Example
lLongStackCount 0 (query form) or 1

lpLongStack[0] energylevel (EnergyRange)

FUNCID=VARENERGYID=170
NOBUFFER
ImpUserEnergy

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VARIABLE FEED_TYPE
Function Selects black bar or gap indexing.

Explicit Form VARIABLE FEED_TYPE mode

Implicit Form V F mode

Parameters mode Index mode – GAP selects gap

indexing and BAR selects black bar
indexing.

Comments When using this command, send it to the printer

with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

The FEED_TYPE setting has no effect unless

automatic label indexing is enabled. Use the INDEX
command to enable automatic label indexing if
desired, but do not enable automatic label indexing
when using continuous form media.

The factory setup for some thermal transfer

printers restricts the allowable indexing method
when a ribbon is installed. Consult the applicable
printer User's Guide for more information.

Example The following label format enables gap indexing:

! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE FEED_TYPE GAP
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE HIGHSPEED
Function Changes the print speed to its highest available
setting. The maximum print speed varies among
printer models; consult your printer's User's Guide
for more information.

Explicit Form VARIABLE HIGHSPEED

Implicit Form V HIGHSPEED

Parameters None

Comments Code Courier automatically adjusts its speed in

response to ambient temperature and battery
condition. Refer to the Code Courier User's Guide
for details.

Barcode Blaster automatically disables high speed

printing whenever it encounters the following
commands or command parameters in a label
format:
Header line X parameter
Header line dot time values other than 100
MULTIPLE command
OFFSET command
WIDTH command

On some printers, the starting print location may

move vertically slightly if the print speed changes.
Usually the change in location is negligible, but you
can correct the starting location with the VARIABLE
POSITION command if desired.

See also VARIABLE LOWSPEED, VARIABLE NORMAL

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Example VARIABLE HIGHSPEED

NOTE: Print speed can affect bar code scanning

reliability, especially when printing rotated bar codes.
For best results, use print speeds of 2 IPS or less when
printing rotated bar codes.

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VARIABLE INDEX
Function This command turns indexing on or off.

Explicit Form VARIABLE INDEX on/off/?

Implicit Form V INDEX on/off/?

Parameters

Comments •

Example
cpEnumStack[0] on/off/? (OnOffStat)

FUNCID=INDEXONOFFID=48
NOBUFFER
ImpVarIndexOnOff

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VARIABLE INDEX SETTING

Function Adjusts the index detector for optimum gap
detection through a wide range of ribbon and label
densities. The command is primarily for use with
thermal transfer printers in gap indexing mode.
There is no need to use this command when using
black bar indexing. The C Series printers use the
CALIBRATE parameter, but not any of the other
parameters.

Explicit Form VARIABLE INDEX SETTING mode

Implicit Form V INDEX SETTING nnn

NOTE: Observe that this command consists of three

words, separated by spaces.

Parameters mode Desired indexing mode. Allowable values

are 0, 1, 2, 3, and CALIBRATE, as follows:
0 Automatic mode: Sets the
printer index sensitivity to
mode 1 or 2 values as the
print mode changes in
response to the VARIABLE
PRINT_MODE command.
1 Sets the printer to use
direct thermal indexing
values. This setting is
calibrated at the factory for
best gap indexing
performance with no ribbon
installed.
2 Sets the printer to use
thermal transfer indexing
values; factory calibrated
for best performance with
wax ribbon installed.
3 Same as mode 2, except
factory calibrated for best

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indexing performance with

a resin-based ribbon
installed. The sensitivity of
this mode is adjustable with
the CALIBRATE mode.
CALIBRATE Runs an index calibration,
and then replaces the index
data currently stored for
mode 3 with the new data.
The C Series printer uses
only this parameter, not
any of the other
parameters.
NOTE: Confirm that the
correct print media is loaded
before starting the
calibration.

Comments When using the VARIABLE INDEX SETTING modes

0, 1, or 2, send the command to the printer with
VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label format.
The use of VARIABLE WRITE is optional when using
the VARIABLE INDEX SETTING CALIBRATE
command. VARIABLE INDEX SETTING
CALIBRATE always writes its data to nonvolatile
RAM, with or without the use of VARIABLE WRITE.

Do not use this command in stored label formats.

The CALIBRATE mode runs an automatic

calibration routine that measures the opacity of the
currently loaded ribbon, labels, and backing, then
uses these values to set the index detector
sensitivity. This takes about 15 seconds in most
printers. The printer's READY light flashes during
calibration. The ready light will glow green if the
calibration is successful and red if the calibration is
unsuccessful. Following a successful calibration, the
printer automatically writes the new index
calibration to nonvolatile RAM.

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Example 1 The following label format will set the automatic

indexing mode:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE INDEX SETTING 0
VARIABLE WRITE
END

Example 2 The following label format will calibrate the index

detector:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE INDEX SETTING CALIBRATE
END

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VARIABLE IRDA
Function This command turns the IrDa communications on
or off.

Explicit Form VARIABLE IRDA on/off/?

Implicit Form V IRDA on/off/?

Parameters

Comments •

Example
cpEnumStack[0] on/off/? (OnOffStat)

FUNCID=IRDAENABLEID=103
NOBUFFER
dummyFunc

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VARIABLE IRDA COMM

Function This command chooses the IrDa baud rate.

Explicit Form VARIABLE IRDA COMM baud

Implicit Form V IRDA COMM baud

Parameters

Comments •

Example
cpEnumStack[0] baud (BaudRange)

FUNCID=IRDACOMMSETTINGID=104
NOBUFFER
dummyFunc

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VARIABLE IRDA PROTOCOL

Function This command chooses between the two available
IrDa communications protocols: Lite or Denso.

Explicit Form VARIABLE IRDA PROTOCOL protocol

Implicit Form V IRDA PROTOCOL protocol

Parameters

Comments •

Example
cpEnumStack[0] protocol (IrDAProtocolEnumSet)

FUNCID=IRDAPROTOCOLID=102
NOBUFFER
dummyFunc

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VARIABLE LOWSPEED
Function Changes the printer speed to its lowest allowable
value.

Explicit Form VARIABLE LOWSPEED

Implicit Form V LOWSPEED

Parameters None

Comments Code Courier automatically adjusts its speed in

response to ambient temperature and battery
condition. Refer to the printer's User's Guide for
details.

See also VARIABLE HIGHSPEED, VARIABLE NORMAL

Example The following command will set the printer speed to

its lowest value:
VARIABLE LOWSPEED

NOTE: Do not use this command when programming

the thermal transfer Code Courier (model PT422003).

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VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST
Function Adjusts print contrast on object leading edges for
optimum print quality. Adjustment of this
parameter is not normally required, but may
improve rotated bar code reliability in some
circumstances. Printers that support this command
employ an advanced "dot history" algorithm, which
tracks the activity of each printhead dot from one
dot row to the next. If a given dot was off prior to
being commanded on, the printer will apply a little
extra energy to the dot to force it to come up to full
temperature faster. This can significantly improve
the reliability of rotated bar codes. This setting is
independent of the VARIABLE DARKNESS setting,
and only affects the first dot row of each object (or
for rotated bar codes, the leading edge of each bar in
the code).

NOTE: This feature is only active when printing at 2 IPS

with 200 DPI print pitch.

Explicit Form VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST n

Implicit Form V MEDIA_ADJUST n

Parameters n Media adjust value. The allowable range is -

3000 to +3000. Fast media – media that
prints well with low VARIABLE DARKNESS
values – will generally print better with high
MEDIA_ADJUST values. Slow media will
generally need lower settings.
Optimum values for MEDIA_ADJUST may be
found by experimentation. Refer to comments
below.
Thermal transfer printers store separate
values for MEDIA_ADJUST in DT and TT
mode, selecting the appropriate value
depending on the current print mode.
Comments Optimum MEDIA_ADJUST values depend on the

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currently loaded media (for TT printers, both paper

and ribbon). Cognitive suggests the following
procedure for experimentally finding the optimum
MEDIA_ADJUST value for your media.

1. Prepare the following label format:

! 0 100 190 1

PITCH 200

VARIABLE DARKNESS -70

VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST 3000

BARCODER CODABAR(2:4)- 20 10 200 0123456

BARCODER CODABAR(2:4)- 220 10 200 3456789

END

The MEDIA_ADJUST 3000 command in the

above label format will effectively turn off
MEDIA_ADJUST. The darkness value should be
whatever you think will print a readable label on
your printer.
2. Send the label format to the printer.

3. Examine the printed bar codes carefully

using a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe.
Ideally, the wide bars should show some
breakup between dot rows and the narrow
bars should be only one dot row wide. This
setting is probably lighter than you would
normally want.

4. Adjust the darkness value experimentally

until you achieve the results described in
step 3.

5. Reduce the MEDIA_ADJUST value to 2500.

Do not change the DARKNESS value.

6. Print the label format again, and examine

the bar codes. You may begin to see some
darkening of the narrow bars, although no

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change may appear until you have changed

the MEDIA_ADJUST value significantly;
results vary with media sensitivity. Ideally,
the narrow bars should be two dots wide. The
leading edge of the wide bars should also
darken until they are solid all the way
across.

7. Vary the MEDIA_ADJUST value in large

increments (about 500) and print the test
label until the printed bar code approaches
the appearance described in step 6. Change
MEDIA_ADJUST in smaller increments as you
begin to see improvement in the print
results.

After achieving satisfactory visual results, you may

want to scan the bar codes with a bar code verifier.
No further adjustment is required if the bar codes
scan satisfactorily. The experimentally derived
value will work with all media that has the same
temperature response. You may send the new
MEDIA_ADJUST value to the printer with VARIABLE
WRITE as shown in the example below, or simply
note the value for future reference.

NOTE: This method should provide optimum rotated

bar code reliability, but may not produce visually
pleasing labels. Labels that "look good" are often too
dark for good bar code performance. You may want to
increase the print darkness for attractive text and
graphics.

Do not change MEDIA_ADJUST if you adjust the print

darkness. The optimum value for MEDIA_ADJUST is
independent of print darkness, and depends solely on
the media sensitivity.

See also VARIABLE DARKNESS

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Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST 1000
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE MODE
Function Selects Blazer Emulation Mode in printers that
support variable dot time, or sets the default print
pitch in all other printers except the Code Courier
and the C Series printers which do not support the
command.

Explicit Form VARIABLE MODE n scale

Implicit Form V MODE n scale

Parameters n Mode type. Acceptable values are 0, 1,

and 2.
In printers that do not support variable
dot time, VARIABLE MODE 0 sets the
default print pitch to its highest value.
VARIABLE MODE 1 and VARIABLE
MODE 2 set the default pitch to its
lowest value. In printers that support
variable dot time, the three modes
control Blazer Emulation. Printers
operating in mode 0 emulate Enhanced
Barcode Blazers with linear dot time
enabled. Printers operating in mode 1
emulate typical non-enhanced Barcode
Blazers. Printers operating in mode 2
also emulate non-enhanced Blazers,
except this mode supports an additional
parameter (scale).
scale Scaling factor for mode 2 emulation.
This is a required parameter when using
mode 2 but is ignored when using modes
0 or 1. Valid values are 1 to 255, and set
the scaled print length as a percentage
of the original print length.

NOTE: Blazer emulation is normally disabled. Only use

Blazer emulation if you are replacing a non-enhanced
Barcode Blazer or a Blazer that has unusual dot time or
speed characteristics.

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Comments When using this command, send it to the printer

with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

See also VARIABLE PITCH

Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE MODE 1
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE NO_MEDIA
Function Specifies how long the printer will run without
detecting a label before assuming that it is out of
media. This only applies to gap indexing mode

Explicit Form VARIABLE NO_MEDIA nn

Implicit Form V NO_MEDIA nn

Parameters nn Number of label inches that the printer

will try to feed before assuming it is out
of media. Allowable values are 0 to 12,
with a default of 1.
A value of 0 disables this feature.
Comments When using this command, send it to the printer
with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

This feature works by measuring label gap length.

If the printer detects a gap that is longer than nn, it
assumes that there are no more labels and stops
feeding. You will need to change this setting if your
label media has gaps greater than 1".

The printer always assumes it is empty if it does not

detect a label after feeding 12" of media, regardless
of the VARIABLE NO_MEDIA setting. (In black bar
mode, the printer always stops running after
feeding 12" of media without detecting an index
mark.)

Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE NO_MEDIA 3
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE NORMAL
Function Changes the printer speed to a speed approximately
halfway between the LOWSPEED and HIGHSPEED
settings, or in printers with only two allowable
speeds, sets the printer to the lowest speed. Your
printer's User's Guide lists available print speeds.

Explicit Form VARIABLE NORMAL

Implicit Form V NORMAL

Parameters None

Comments Code Courier automatically adjusts its speed in

response to ambient temperature and battery
condition. Refer to the Code Courier User's Guide
for details.

See also VARIABLE LOWSPEED, VARIABLE HIGHSPEED

Example The following command will set the printer speed to

its "normal" value:
VARIABLE NORMAL

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VARIABLE OFF AFTER

Function

Explicit Form VARIABLE OFF_AFTER time/?

Implicit Form V OFF_AFTER time/?

Parameters

Comments •

Example
lLongStackCount 0 (query form) or 1
lpLongStack[0] time (SleepRange)

FUNCID=OFFAFTERID=71
NOBUFFER
ImpOff (not functional)

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VARIABLES ON/OFF
Function Enables and disables access to certain protected
VARIABLE values.

Explicit Form VARIABLES status

Parameters status Protection status. ON allows access to the

protected VARIABLE settings. OFF
prohibits access to the protected
VARIABLE settings.
The default is ON.
Comments Do not use this command in stored label formats.

This command acts as a "write-protect" feature for

certain VARIABLE commands, preventing the user
from inadvertently disabling or enabling them. The
only protected VARIABLE command at present is
VARIABLE MODE. Future firmware revisions may
extend this protection to other setup parameters.

Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLES OFF
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE PITCH
Function Selects the default print pitch.

Explicit Form VARIABLE PITCH n

Implicit Form V PITCH n

Parameters n Default print pitch. Allowable values are

as used in the PITCH command.
Comments When using this command, send it to the printer
with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

See also PITCH

Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE PITCH 100
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE POSITION
Function Moves the first printed dot row on the label up or
down with respect to its last position.

Explicit Form VARIABLE POSITION distance

Implicit Form V POSITION distance

Parameters distance Distance between the original starting

location and the new location, in
thousandths of an inch. Positive
numbers move the first dot row down;
negative numbers move the first dot
row up.

NOTE: The first dot row must always be at least 3/16"

from the top edge of the label when using black bar
indexing. Trying to print too near to the top edge by
using the VARIABLE POSITION command causes
label skipping.

Comments Use this command with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-

printing label format. After sending the file to the
printer, press the FEED button once to set the new
index position.

Do not use this command in stored label formats.

The position set with this command only applies to

the current indexing method (black bar or gap).

Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE POSITION -10
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL
Function Controls the dispensing of labels for application.
VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL ensures a second set of
labels is not printed before the operator is ready,
and enables the user to change the distance fed
forward and backward after printing.

Explicit Form VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL Active

Advance_Distance Retract_Distance
Time_Delay

VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL Action

V PRESENTLABEL Action
Implicit Form

Parameters Active Valid values are ON and OFF. When

no parameters are specified, the
printer uses the last stored settings
to set the Advance_Distance or
Retract_Distance. When OFF,
parameters are ignored.
Advance Distance the label is advanced in
_Distance hundredths of an inch. Refer to Table
4, Variable Present Label
Limitations for the maximum
acceptable values for each printer.
Retract_ Distance the label is retracted in
Distance hundredths of an inch. Refer to Table
4, Variable Present Label
Limitations for the maximum
acceptable values for each printer.
Time_ Time in seconds before the printer
Delay retracts and is ready to print. If not
specified, the printer retracts before
printing the next job. Set
Time_Delay to 0 to remove the
delay.

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Comments When printing, the printer will first retract the

media as specified by Retract_Distance. When
the label is printed, the printer advances the media
as specified by Advance_Distance. When printing
a batch of labels, only the first label is retracted and
the last label advanced. When using the HALT
command, each label is presented using the
Advance and Retract values.

Exceeding the recommended limitations may

damage the printer.

• The RETRACT distance must be equal to

or less than the ADVANCE distance or the
media may come off the drive roller and
out of paper detection may not report
correctly.
• Thermal transfer printers are incapable
of rewinding the ribbon. Exceeding the
recommended limitations may result in
poor print quality.
• The reverse distance for Solus and Del Sol
thermal transfer printers is mechanically
limited. Exceeding the recommended
limitations may result in poor print
quality.
• All direct thermal printers have
recommended limited travel distances, as
explained in the following table.
Exceeding the recommended limitations
may result in poor print quality and
jamming of the print mechanism.

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Example The following example sets the

Advance_Distance to 1.06 inches, the
Retract_Distance to 1.00 inches and the
Time_Delay to 10 seconds. All of the parameters
must be present for the others to work. If only the
Advance_Distance parameter is present, the
Retract_Distance is set equal.

Advance_Distance and Retract_Distance

must be specified to enable the Time_Delay
parameter.
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL ON 106 100 10
VARIABLE WRITE
END

Table 4. Variable Present Label Limitations

Mode Barcode Blaster Blaster Advantage Solus/Del Sol
TYPE DT TT DT TT DT TT
Forward distance (inches) N/A N/A 2 2 2 2
Reverse distance (inches) N/A N/A 2 0 2 .75

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VARIABLE PRINT_MODE
Function Sets the printer up for direct thermal or thermal
transfer printing. The command adjusts print
darkness and gap indexing parameters and enables
or disables the ribbon-out detector as needed for the
selected print method.

Explicit Form VARIABLE PRINT_MODE method

Implicit Form V PRINT_MODE method

Parameters method DT Direct thermal printing

TT Thermal transfer printing

AUTO Printer checks for the presence

of a ribbon when it is turned on
or when the printhead is
lowered. If a ribbon is detected,
the printer sets itself for TT
mode. Otherwise, the printer
will automatically select DT
mode.
Comments Send this command to the printer with VARIABLE
WRITE in a non-printing label format. Do not use
this command in stored label formats.

Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE PRINT_MODE TT
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE READ
Function Reads the last saved variable values in permanent
storage and uses them as the current values. The
effect is the same as turning the printer off and
then on again.

Explicit Form VARIABLE READ

Implicit Form V READ

Parameters None

Comments Do not use this command in stored label formats.

See also VARIABLE WRITE

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VARIABLE RECALIBRATE
Function Turns automatic index calibration on or off. If
enabled, automatic index calibration causes the
printer to enter a recalibrate sequence when an
indexing error is detected.

Explicit Form VARIABLE RECALIBRATE on/off/?

Implicit Form V RECALIBRATE on/off/?

Parameters

Comments •

Example
cpEnumStack[0] on/off/? (OnOffStat)

FUNCID=VARRECALID=141
NOBUFFER
ImpVarRecalibrate

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VARIABLE REPORT_LEVEL
Function Sets the manner in which the printer reports
recoverable errors.

Explicit Form VARIABLE REPORT_LEVEL n

Implicit Form V REPORT_LEVEL n

Parameters n 0 No error reporting. This is the default

error level in most printers.
1 Error messages are sent to the serial
port.
2 Error messages are sent to the serial
port and printed on the label.
Comments Send this command to the printer with VARIABLE
WRITE in a non-printing label format.

Do not use this command in stored label formats.

Example The label format below will tell the printer to send
an error message to the printer serial port and print
an error label when it encounters a recoverable
error:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE REPORT_LEVEL 2
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE RESET
Function Returns user-accessible VARIABLE parameters to
known values. Affected parameters and their
default values vary among printer models. The
command writes the known values to nonvolatile
RAM.

Explicit Form VARIABLE RESET

Implicit Form V RESET

Parameters None

Comments Do not use this command in stored label formats.

NOTE: VARIABLES RESET immediately writes the

new values to nonvolatile RAM without using
VARIABLE WRITE.

Example ! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLES RESET
END

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VARIABLE SLEEP_AFTER
Function Sets the amount of time a portable printer will stay
awake after completing a print job.

Explicit Form VARIABLE SLEEP_AFTER duration

Implicit Form V SLEEP_AFTER duration

Parameters duration Length of time the printer will stay

awake, in seconds. The allowable
range is 0 to 255, with a default of
one second.
Setting duration to 0 will keep the
printer awake continuously.
Comments When using this command, send it to the printer
with VARIABLE WRITE in a nonprinting label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

NOTE: Cognitive does not recommend setting a long

SLEEP_AFTER duration unless the printer is powered
from an external source. Keeping the printer awake for
long periods will substantially reduce battery charge life.

See also VARIABLE ON_TIME

Example The following label format tells the printer to stay

awake for 30 seconds after each print job:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE SLEEP_AFTER 30
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT

Function Shifts the printed image of all labels a specified
distance to the left from the normal 0, 0 origin.

Explicit Form VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT n

Implicit Form V SHIFT LEFT n

Parameters n The distance the image is shifted to the left, in

hundredths of an inch.
Comments When using this command, send it to the printer
with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats

Example The following command will shift the label image

1.28" to the left of its normal position:
VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT 128

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VARIABLE TEXT BUFFER

Function This command sets the size of the text buffer and
the text overflow buffer.

Explicit Form VARIABLE TXTBFR txt ovf

Implicit Form V TXTBFR txt ovf

Parameters txt Size of the text buffer, in bytes. The

allowable range is 4096 to 65535, with a
default of 4096.
ovf Optional; specifies the size of the overflow
buffer, in bytes. The allowable range is 0 to
(txt - 1024).

NOTE: Turn the printer OFF and back ON again just

before you send this command to the printer. Some
printers may ignore the TXTBFR command if printer
power is not cycled first.

Comments When using this command, send it to the printer

with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-printing label
format. Do not use this command in stored label
formats.

The text buffer holds incoming ASCII data before it

is processed. The overflow buffer is part of the text
buffer. It begins filling after the rest of the text
buffer is full, at which time the printer will signal
the host to stop sending data.

Data sent via the serial port cannot overflow the

text buffer, providing hardware or software flow
control is enabled. Data sent via the parallel port
will overflow the text buffer if the size of the ASCII
label format is larger than (txt-ovf). Overflowing the
text buffer in Code Courier or Barcode Blaster will
cause the printer to lock up. Blaster Advantage and
Solus will print an error label if the text buffer
overflows.

Increasing the text buffer size will decrease the size

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of the image buffer.

Total memory size = text buffer + image buffer

NOTE: Changing the text or overflow buffer sizes will

delete any objects stored in the image buffer.

See also VARIABLE ALLOCATE

Example The following label format sets the text buffer size
to 4 kilobytes:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE TXTBFR 4096
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK
Function Enables or disables the transmission of certain
status messages to the host computer. With this
feature enabled, the printer regularly sends some
status messages via the serial port. The printer will
not send messages if the host computer is busy, (as
indicated by the condition of its serial port CTS line.

Explicit Form VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK status

Implicit Form V USER_FEEDBACK status

Parameters status Condition of the user feedback function.

ON enables this feature; OFF disables it.
Comments Send this command to the printer with VARIABLE
WRITE in a non-printing label format. Do not use
this command in stored label formats

See also QUERY STATUS

Example The following label format will enable user

feedback:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK ON
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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VARIABLE WIDTH
Function Sets the default print width.

Explicit Form VARIABLE WIDTH n

Implicit Form V WIDTH n

Parameters n Print width, in hundredths of an inch.

Comments Use this command with VARIABLE WRITE in a non-

printing label format. Do not use this command in
stored label formats.

This command is functionally identical to the

WIDTH command, except that it can set the new
print width in nonvolatile RAM. Used with
VARIABLE WRITE, VARIABLE WIDTH can eliminate
the need to include WIDTH commands in label
formats designed for narrow printers. It is still good
programming practice, though, to include a WIDTH
command in every new label format. This helps
assure compatibility with other printers that may
not support VARIABLE WIDTH.

See also WIDTH

Example The following command sets the print width to

2.24":
VARIABLE WIDTH 224

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VARIABLE WRITE
Function Writes the current variable values to nonvolatile
storage. Values in effect when VARIABLE WRITE is
executed are retained in memory while the printer
power is off.

Explicit Form VARIABLE WRITE

Implicit Form V WRITE

Parameters None

Comments You do not need to use this command every time

you want to permanently change a VARIABLE
value. The printer retains VARIABLE values as long
as its power is on, and a single VARIABLE WRITE
will permanently store the entire set of VARIABLE
values. Excessive use of VARIABLE WRITE
increases label processing time and may also
increase the risk of nonvolatile RAM failure in some
early printers.

NOTE: Follow these rules with respect to VARIABLE

WRITE:

• Use the VARIABLE WRITE command only

in dummy (non-printing) label formats.
• Do not use this command in stored label
formats.
• Only use the VARIABLE WRITE
command with other VARIABLE
commands. Mixing normal commands
with VARIABLE WRITE can corrupt the
contents of the nonvolatile RAM in some
printers.

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Example The example below shows how to set a VARIABLE

value in one label format with VARIABLE WRITE.
But you must remember that this label format is
also writing all other current VARIABLE values to
nonvolatile RAM at the same time.
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE HIGHSPEED
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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PROMPTS
Function

Explicit Form PROMPTS ON/OFF/?

Implicit Form

Parameters

Comments •

Example
cpEnumStack[0] ON,OFF,? (OnOffStat)

FUNCID=PROMPTSFUNCID=9
NOBUFFER
ImpPrompts

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DATASKIP
Function

Explicit Form DATASKIP count

DATASKIP UNTIL char [repeat]

Implicit Form

Parameters

Comments •

Example
lpLongStack[0] = count
lpLongStack[0] = repeat
cpCharStack[0] = char

FUNCID=DATASKIPID=131
NOBUFFER
dummyFunc

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 Chapter

7
Using VARIABLE Commands
Printer configuration must be handled through VARIABLE commands.
The sample label formats in this section are provided for your
convenience, to help you set the printer up for some common
configurations. To use these label formats, copy the format to Windows
Notepad or a similar ASCII text editor, edit the label format as
required, and then print the label format.

NOTE: If you are printing the files directly from Notepad or another Windows-
based program, be aware that most Windows printer drivers will not work with
Cognitive printers.

The "generic ASCII" printer driver supplied with Windows will pass the label
format to the printer without interference. Please install and use this driver
when sending these sample formats to the printer.

Do not use the Cognitive Windows driver when sending these formats to the
printer from Windows. The Cognitive Windows driver converts Windows
documents to ASCII label formats; thus, your label formats will print as they
appear in the text editor rather than directly control the printer as intended.

Most of these sample formats use the VARIABLE WRITE command.

Familiarize yourself with this command before using the samples.

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Blazer Compatibility
As shipped, Barcode Blaster, Solus, and Blaster Advantage printers are
not compatible with older Barcode Blazers, or with enhanced Blazers
operating in nonlinear dot time mode. High speed Blasters can closely
emulate Barcode Blazers. Solus and Advantage printers are more
limited in their Blazer emulation.

As a rule, only use Blazer emulation mode if you are replacing an older
Barcode Blazer and must avoid modifying any label formats or software.
Do not use Blazer emulation mode if you can print successfully without
it.

Blazer emulation mode is controlled by the VARIABLE MODE command.

VARIABLES ON/OFF controls access to VARIABLE MODE. Please refer to
these command descriptions before using the label formats.

The following label format sets up any Barcode Blaster to emulate an

enhanced Barcode Blazer operating in linear dot time mode:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE MODE 1
VARIABLE WRITE
END

The following label format will set up a high speed Blaster to emulate a
non-enhanced Blazer or an enhanced Blazer operating in nonlinear dot
time mode. Adjust the second parameter in the VARIABLE MODE
command to compensate for the speed of the Blazer that you are
replacing. The value shown (70) will vertically scale all labels to 70% of
their normal height.
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE MODE 2 70
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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The following label format disables Blazer emulation mode and returns
the printer to normal operation:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE MODE 0
VARIABLE WRITE
END

There are many aspects to printer compatibility. You may want to

request a copy of Technical Bulletin 10-00-0131, which covers
Blazer/Blaster compatibility in detail. Contact our Technical Support
Organization for more information.

Setting DT or TT Print Method

Thermal transfer Barcode Blasters can print in direct thermal or
thermal transfer mode, but you must set the printer for the correct
media type. After loading the appropriate media, set the printer for the
correct media type using the VARIABLE PRINT_MODE command.

Use one of the following label formats to set the print method:

For thermal transfer printing:

! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE PRINT_MODE TT
VARIABLE WRITE
END

For direct thermal printing:

! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE PRINT_MODE DT
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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 U S I N G V A R I A B L E C O M M A N D S

Setting Bar or Gap Index Type

All currently manufactured Cognitive printers support black bar and
gap indexing, and are shipped from the factory set for gap indexing. The
VARIABLE FEED_TYPE command controls the index method. Use one
of the following label formats to change the index type.

For black bar indexing:

! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE FEED_TYPE BAR
VARIABLE WRITE
END

For gap indexing:

! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE FEED_TYPE GAP
VARIABLE WRITE
END

Optimizing Index Detection

NOTE: This information is not applicable to Code Courier.

When using gap indexing in thermal transfer mode, the index detector
must "see" through the ribbon and detect the difference in opacity
between the label and the label backing. Variations in print media may
necessitate index detector adjustment in some cases. The VARIABLE
INDEX SETTING command controls the index detector sensitivity.

Direct Thermal Printing

The following label format will set the index detector for optimum
sensitivity when using direct thermal printing (that is, with no ribbon
installed):
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE INDEX SETTING 1
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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 U S I N G V A R I A B L E C O M M A N D S

Thermal Transfer Printing with Standard Wax Ribbon

The following label format will set the index detector for thermal
transfer printing using Cognitive's standard wax ribbon:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE INDEX SETTING 2
VARIABLE WRITE
END

Thermal Transfer Printing with Resin Ribbon

The following label format will set the index detector for thermal
transfer printing with typical resin-based ribbon installed:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE INDEX SETTING 3
VARIABLE WRITE
END

Automatic Detect
The following label format causes the printer to automatically set the
index detector to mode 1 or 2 in response to the current print method
(DT or TT) as set by the VARIABLE PRINT_MODE command. This is the
default setting:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE INDEX SETTING 0
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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 U S I N G V A R I A B L E C O M M A N D S

Calibrate the Index

The following label format runs an index detector calibration routine,
and then stores the new index detector sensitivity setting in nonvolatile
RAM under index sensitivity 3. After calibration, the routine will set the
printer in index mode 3:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE INDEX SETTING CALIBRATE
END

NOTE: You do not need to use VARIABLE WRITE when using the
CALIBRATE mode. CALIBRATE automatically writes its data to nonvolatile
RAM.

NOTE: The C Series printers use only the CALIBRATE parameter and not any
of the other parameters.

Setting Print Width

You can set the print width in any label format using the WIDTH
command, but if you plan to consistently use narrow print media, for
example, when using an optional wristband tray, you may want to
change the default print width. The VARIABLE WIDTH command lets
you do this.

Use the following format to change the default print width. Replace the
224 following the VARIABLE WIDTH command with the desired print
width, measured in hundredths of an inch:
! 0 0 0 0
VARIABLE WIDTH 224
VARIABLE WRITE
END

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 Chapter

8
RFID Commands
Specific RFID commands have been added to the CPL language to
support the RFID functionality of the Advantage RFID Thermal
Printer.

Programming Overview
Most Cognitive printers use the same command language, which has
become an industry standard. RFID commands are broken into three
types:

• RFID Standard Commands – Standard commands that are

inserted into a label format
• RFID Variable Commands – Variables used with other
commands and inserted into a label format

The format for creating a printer variable is:

<Delimiter>RF_VAR<Delimiter>

<Delimiter> is defined according to Cognitive’s CPL

command language.
NOTE: In this document, the dollar sign ($) character is used as the delimiter
character.

• RFID Setup/Debug Commands – Commands used with a

serial interface to the printer and sent individually for setup
or debug information

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

Programming Rules
Use blank spaces exactly as shown in the command descriptions,
examples, and syntax. Blank spaces are the delimiters between
parameters. Omitting a necessary space may result in incorrect
programming or a failure to recognize commands.

In CPL-RFID programming, the RFID specific directives are case-

sensitive and must be fully spelled-out.

Certain CPL-RFID commands operate outside of the standard label

formatting. The commands that start with the !RFID command verb
need not be placed between a header line and an END command. For
example, the !RFID CONFIRM command may be stored in a label
format as long as it precedes the header line.

RFID Command Name Structure

RFID commands described in this chapter will use the following
conventions:

RFID Command Name

Function Purpose of the command

Explicit Form Proper sequence for using the command and its
parameters

Parameters Variables or conditions that may be required or

used with the command
Command Type Category of the RFID command

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RFID Command Structure Example

The following listing is an example of RFID command usage.
!RFID CONFIRM ON
! 0 100 1200 1
DELIMIT $
RF VAR_CLEAR
WT 0 "COGNITIVE SOLUTIONS RFID xxxxxx"
WT 16 "PATIENT ID:xxxxxx"
RF HOST "RFID TAG WRITTEN"
RF ID_GET
RT 0 10 "A" 11
RT 16 31 "A" 21
RF HOST “$RF_IDNUM$”
RF HOST "$RF 11$"
RF HOST "$RF 21$"
END

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RFID Commands
Use the following commands to program RFID features of the
Advantage RDIF printers.

Standard Variable Setup/Debug

Commands Definitions Commands

RF ID_GET RF_TYPE !RFID ?

RF HOST RF_IDNUM !RFID CONFIRM

RF VAR_CLEAR RF_BLKSZ !RFID HOST

RT RF LOCATION !RFID LEDFLSH

WT !RFID LEDTIME

WTLOCK !RFID MARK

!RFID RDAFTWT

!RFID RETRY

!RFID SSONCMD

!RFID TAGTYPE

!RFID TIMEOUT

!RFID TXAFTER

!RFID VOID

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RF ID_GET
Function This command is defined as "RFID Function", ID
GET. This command retrieves the current RFID
tag's unique identification number and returns it to
the host.

Explicit Form RF ID_GET

Parameters None

Response This command will automatically transmit the

detected ‘Tag_ID’s numeric value to the Host
Machine via the printer’s serial port.
Command Type RFID Standard Command

Example To Printer:
! 0 0 0 0
DELIMIT $
RF ID_GET
RF HOST "Here the Variables:"
RF HOST "$RF_TYPE$"
RF HOST "$RF_IDNUM$"
RF HOST "$RF_BLKSZ$"
END

From Printer:
TAG_ID: E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10
Here the Variables:
[ISO15693]
[E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10]
[4]

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RF HOST
Function This command instructs the Printer to transmit the
specified ASCII string to the Host Machine using
the serial port. When used in conjunction with the
printer "Delimit" command in a label format,
certain variable values can also be returned to the
host.

Explicit Form RF HOST "ASCII-string-to-send-to-host"

Parameters The data placed inside the " " can be either a
variable such as RF TYPE or other ASCII data.
Response The Static or Derived Variable valued string is
transmitted to the Host Machine via the printer’s
serial port.
Command Type RFID Standard Command

Example To Printer:
! 0 0 0 0
DELIMIT $
RF ID_GET
RF HOST "Here the Variables:"
RF HOST "$RF_TYPE$"
RF HOST "$RF_IDNUM$"
RF HOST "$RF_BLKSZ$"
END
From Printer:
TAG_ID: E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10
Here the Variables:
[ISO15693]
[E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10]
[4]

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RF VAR_CLEAR
Function This command instructs the Printer to clear and
reset all of the internal RFID Read-Tag Data-
Handler Variables. After executing this command,
no ‘RF nn’ Variables are defined

Explicit Form RF VAR_CLEAR

Parameters None

Response None

Command Type RFID Standard Command

Example To Printer:
! 0 0 0 0
DELIMIT $
RF VAR_CLEAR
RT 0 3 "A" 33
RF HOST "$RF 33$"
END

From Printer:
123-1234-123

NOTE: By using this command in the example above

the result sent to the Host Machine is guaranteed to be
that from the ‘RT …33’ command within the label and
not from a previous ‘RT …. 33’ processed earlier.

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RT
Function Read Tag. This command retrieves RFID-tag data
from the tag currently positioned over RFID
Reader/Writer H/W.

Explicit Form RT ss ee “fmt” vv

Parameters ss Starting block to begin reading octets

(bytes)
ee Ending block. Stop on this block after
reading the contents.
“fmt” Format of the data being read. Use A for
ASCII.
vv Storage index number used for
subsequent retrieval action (0-99)
Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Standard Command

Example To Printer:
! 0 0 0 0
DELIMIT $
RF VAR_CLEAR
RT 0 3 "A" 33
RF HOST "$RF 33$"
END

From Printer:
123-1234-123

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WT
Function Write Tag. This command stores the quoted data to
the RFID-Tag currently positioned over RFID
Reader/Writer H/W. The data begins storage at the
ss Tag-block and extends to and zero pads any
unused bytes within the ending block.

Explicit Form WT ss “data”

Parameters ss Starting block to begin reading octets

(bytes)
“data” Collection of data octets to be written to
the RFID tag. The size of "data" must
be in the range of 1-255 octets.
Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Standard Command

Example To Printer:
! 0 100 800 0
DELIMIT $
WT 0 "123-1234-123"
WT 4 "John Q. Public"
WT 10 "Cardiac Care Unit"
RT 0 3 "A" 33
RF HOST "$RF 33$"
END
From Printer:
123-1234-123

NOTE: In this initial Adv-LX RFID Printer, the Skyetek-

M1 Reader/Writer Module limits individual Read or
Write transfers to/from the RFID-Tags to 64-bytes
maximum (63 characters terminated in a null
character). CPL command lines are naturally limited to
256-bytes. Therefore, 4 separate 64-byte WT
commands must be executed to fill a 256-byte RFID-
Tag,

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WTLOCK
Function Write and Lock Tag. The command permanently
writes data to a tag. As with the WT command, the
user is responsible for maintaining the 63 byte
requirement. Refer to the note in the Example
section.

Approximately 15 seconds, with no retries, is

required to write lock a full blank tag.

NOTE: This command will overwrite any non-locked

portion of a tag. Attempting to overwrite a locked
portion of the tag will result in a failure.

Explicit Form WTLOCK ss “data”

Parameters ss Starting block to begin reading octets

(bytes)
“data” Collection of data octets to be written to
the RFID tag. The size of "data" must be
in the range of 1-255 octets.
EXCEPTION: data="<null>" locks the
specified starting block (nn).

Command Type RFID Standard Command

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Example To Printer:
! 0 100 800 0
DELIMIT $
WTLOCK 0 "123-1234-123"
WT 4 "John Q. Public"
WT 10 "Medical Information"
RT 0 3 "A" 33
RF HOST "$RF 33$"
END

From Printer:
123-1234-123

NOTE: Individual Read or Write transfers to/from the

RFID-Tags are limited to 64 bytes maximum (63
characters terminated in a null character). CPL
command lines are naturally limited to 256 bytes.
Therefore, 4 separate 64-byte WT commands must be
executed to fill a 256-byte RFID-Tag,

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RF_TYPE
Function This is an RFID reserved and internal variable
contains the last RFID-Tag’s Type. This variable is
often used in conjunction with the RF HOST
command.

Explicit Form $RF_TYPE$

Parameters None

Response The printer’s parser will replace any Static or

Derived Variables with valued string associated
with variable and then attempt to execute the CPL
or CPL-RFID command
Command Type RFID Standard Command

See also RF HOST

Example To Printer:
! 0 0 0 0
DELIMIT $
RF ID_GET
RF HOST "Here the Variables:"
RF HOST "$RF_TYPE$"
RF HOST "$RF_IDNUM$"
RF HOST "$RF_BLKSZ$"
END

From Printer:
TAG_ID: E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10
Here the Variables:
[ISO15693]
[E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10]
[4]

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RF_IDNUM
Function This command is defined as "Reference Find" ID
Number. This command returns the unique tag
identification number and is often used in
conjunction with the RF HOST command.

Explicit Form $RF_IDNUM$

Parameters None

Response The Printer’s parser will replace any Static or

Derived Variables with valued string associated
with variable and then attempt to execute the CPL
or CPL-RFID command.
Command Type RFID Standard Command

See also RF HOST

Example To Printer:
! 0 0 0 0
DELIMIT $
RF ID_GET
RF HOST "Here the Variables:"
RF HOST "$RF_TYPE$"
RF HOST "$RF_IDNUM$"
RF HOST "$RF_BLKSZ$"
END

From Printer:
TAG_ID: E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10
Here the Variables:
[ISO15693]
[E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10]
[4]

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RF_BLKSZ
Function This command is defined as "Reference Find", Block
Size. The command returns the block size for a
specific tag type. This variable is often used in
conjunction with the RF HOST command to return
the tag block size to the host.

Explicit Form $RF_BLKSZ$

Parameters None

Response The printer’s parser will replace any Static or

Derived Variables with valued string associated
with variable and then attempt to execute the CPL
or CPL-RFID command.
Command Type RFID Variable Command

See also RF HOST

Example To Printer:
! 0 0 0 0
DELIMIT $
RF ID_GET
RF HOST "Here the Variables:"
RF HOST "$RF_TYPE$"
RF HOST "$RF_IDNUM$"
RF HOST "$RF_BLKSZ$"
END

From Printer:
TAG_ID: E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10
Here the Variables:
[ISO15693]
[E0:07:00:00:01:F3:06:10]
[4]

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RF LOCATION
Function This command is defined as "Reference Find",
Variable at Location #. The command returns the
value that was stored in a printer variable with the
RT command where nn is an argument to be
specified.

Explicit Form $RF nn$

Parameters nn Range of 0 through 99. A maximum

of 32 locations may be in use at any
one time. Each location can store a
maximum of 63 characters.
Response The printer’s parser will replace any Static or
Derived Variables with valued string associated
with variable and then attempt to execute the CPL
or CPL-RFID command.
Command Type RFID Variable Command

Example To Printer:
! 0 0 0 0
DELIMIT $
RF VAR_CLEAR
RT 0 3 "A" 33
RF HOST "$RF 33$"
END

From Printer:
123-1234-123

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!RFID ?
Function This command queries the printer for a summary of
the existing printer settings for RFID functionality.

Explicit Form !RFID ?

Parameters None

Response See example below.

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example From Printer:

Setup/Config Parameters:
Assigned Tag Type: ISO15693
Mark/OverRide State: OFF
VOID Stamp Message: <NoStampMsg>
LED Flash Control: ON
LED Flash Duration: 250 MSecs
SelecTag before Cmd: ON
TxPowerRF after Cmd: ON
ReadTag after Write: ON
Confirm Commands: OFF
Retry Command: 2 Times
Base Cmd Timeout: 10 MSecs
Select Tag Timeout: 70 MSecs
Read Tag Timeout: 16 MSecs
Write Tag Timeout: 32 MSecs
Lock Tag Timeout: 26 MSecs

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands are processed outside

the context of a standard CPL Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a
header-line ‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use CPL-RFID
Configuration-Setup Commands within a Label-Format result are ignored
without indication.

CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands may precede a standard CPL label

format.

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!RFID CONFIRM
Function Controls the transmission of a ‘Success’ or ‘Failure’
indication at the very end of any CPL-RFID
command’s execution.

Explicit Form !RFID CONFIRM on/off

Parameters ON When the setting is ON, the printer will

return RFID:SUCCESS or RFID
:FAILURE for every command issued to
the printer.
OFF When set to OFF, no messages are sent
to the host.
Response In the case of transitioning to the CONFIRM ON
state, the Printer will respond by transmitting a
command, Success, to the Host Machine.
Conversely, in the case of transitioning to the
CONFIRM OFF state, the Printer will have no
specific response resulting from the execution of
this command.
Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID CONFIRM ON

From Printer:
[RFID:SUCCESS]

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

!RFID HOST
Function This command instructs the Printer to transmit the
specified ASCII string to the Host Machine using
the serial port. When used in conjunction with the
printer "Delimit" command in a label format,
certain variable values can also be returned to the
host.

Explicit Form RF HOST "ASCII-string-to-send-to-host"

Parameters The data placed inside the " " must be ASCII data.
Data length must be between 0 and 240 characters.
Response The static string is transmitted to the Host
Machine by way of the printer’s serial port.
Command Type RFID Standard Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID HOST “Setting RFID Power-Up Defaults”
!RFID CONFIRM OFF

From Printer:
Setting RFID Power-Up Defaults

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result in being completely and
unabashedly ignored without indication.

Additionally, only static valued strings will print with this

command. Delimited variable substitution is an intra-
label-format function only. For example, variables such
as “$RF_IDNUM$” may not be used.

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!RFID LEDFLSH
Function Controls the transmission of a ‘Success’ or ‘Failure’
indication to the LED display during and at the
very end of any CPL-RFID command’s execution.

Explicit Form !RFID LEDFLSH ON/OFF/ACCUM

Parameters ON Flashes LED (Green for Success) or (Red

for Failure) after any CPL-RFID
command completion
OFF Does NOT flash any LED after CPL-
RFID command completions. The LED
normally remains OFF during a label-
format execution until the printer is
ready for the next label or command
where LED is set Green
ACCUM Does NOT flash any LED until after the
entire label- format has completed
execution. If all CPL- RFID commands
completed successfully, the LED is
flashed GREEN and OFF three times. If
any CPL-RFID command failed, the
LED is flashed RED and OFF three
times.
Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID LEDFLSH OFF

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

!RFID LEDTIME
Function Regulates the interval of LED illumination and
LED OFF time used in generation of an LED Flash
on ‘Success’ or ‘Failure’.
Explicit Form !RFID LEDTIME nn

Parameters nn Determines the LED illumination

interval. Range is 0 to 5000.
Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID LEDTIME 100
!RFID ?

From Printer:
Setup/Config Parameters:
Assigned Tag Type: ISO15693
Mark/OverRide State: OFF
VOID Stamp Message: <NoStampMsg>
LED Flash Control: ON
LED Flash Duration: 250 MSecs
SelecTag before Cmd: ON

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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!RFID MARK
Function This command sets whether or not to print a
defined mark on a label that fails to write expected
data to an RFID tag.

Explicit Form !RFID MARK ON/OFF

Parameters ON When the setting is ON, the printer will

mark a label that fails a RT, WT, or
WTLOCK command.
Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID MARK OFF

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

!RFID RDAFTWT
Function This command initiates an integrity test following a
WT command. Data is read and undergoes a byte-
by-byte comparison with the initial data. The
comparison occurs before the WT command is
returned as successful or failed.

Explicit Form !RFID RDAFTWT ON/OFF

Parameters ON Byte-by-byte comparison with initial

data is performed.
OFF No comparison is performed.

Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID RDAFTWT OFF

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

!RFID RETRY
Function This command sets the number of retries that the
printer will perform on a RT, WT, or WTLOCK
command. To enter the retry loop, the printer must
fail a specific command after reading the tag
identification and type.

Explicit Form !RFID RETRY nn

Parameters nn Number of retries allowed. A maximum

of 50 retries is permitted.
Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID RETRY 1
!RFID ?

From Printer:
Setup/Config Parameters:
Assigned Tag Type: ISO15693
| | |
Confirm Commands: OFF
Retry Command: 1 Times
Base Cmd Timeout: 10 MSecs
Select Tag Timeout: 70 MSecs
Read Tag Timeout: 16 MSecs
Write Tag Timeout: 32 MSecs
Lock Tag Timeout: 26 MSecs

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

!RFID SSONCMD
Function This command controls the automatic execution of
a Select-Tag command prior to the Host Command
to RT, WT, or WTLOCK an RFID tag.
Explicit Form !RFID SSONCMD ON/OFF

Parameters ON Causes automatic Select-Tag command

executions before any RT, WT or WTLOCK
command.
OFF Select-Tag command occurs on the first
RT, WT, or WTLOCK command of a label
format and does not reoccur prior to the
END command.
Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID SSONCMD OFF
!RFID ?

From Printer:
Setup/Config Parameters:
Assigned Tag Type: ISO15693
| | |
LED Flash Duration: 250 MSecs
SelecTag before Cmd: ON
TxPowerRF after Cmd: ON

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

!RFID TAGTYPE
Function This command verifies a tag type. Enter the tag
type and verify the change with the !RFID ?
command.

Explicit Form !RFID TAGTYPE ISO/TI/PHILPS

Parameters ISO Sets the industry standard ISO-15693

tag type
TI Sets Texas-Instrument’s ‘Tag-it HF’ tag
type.
PHILPS Sets Philips ‘I-Code1 (SL1)’ tag type.

Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID TAGTYPE ISO
!RFID ?

From Printer:
Setup/Config Parameters:
Assigned Tag Type: ISO15693
Mark/OverRide State: OFF
VOID Stamp Message: <NoStampMsg>
LED Flash Control: ON
| | |

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

!RFID TIMEOUT
Function This command sets the time delay, in milliseconds,
to wait before considering a command a failure.

NOTE: The parameters are part of a calculation and do

not translate into exact execution time differences.

Explicit Form !RFID TIMEOUT bb,ss,rr,ww,ll

Parameters bb Base Time Out – Specifies the time

delay in milliseconds. The range of this
parameter is 0 through 5000.
ss Base Time Out – Specifies the time
delay in milliseconds. The range of this
parameter is 0 through 5000.
rr Read Time Out – Specifies the time
delay in milliseconds. The range of this
parameter is 0 through 5000.
ww Write Time Out – Specifies the time
delay in milliseconds. The range of this
parameter is 0 through 5000.
ll Lock Time Out – Specifies the time
delay in milliseconds. The range of this
parameter is 0 through 5000.
Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

Example To Printer:
!RFID 20,,,,50
!RFID ?

From Printer:
Setup/Config Parameters:
| | |
Base Cmd Timeout: 20 Msecs
Select Tag Timeout: 70 Msecs
Read Tag Timeout: 16 MSecs
Write Tag Timeout: 32 MSecs
Lock Tag Timeout: 50 Msecs

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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 R F I D C O M M A N D S

!RFID TXAFTER
Function This command controls the state of the hardware’s
RF carrier transmission after any Host Command
to read, write or write and lock an RFID-Tag

Explicit Form !RFID TXAFTER ON/OFF

Parameters ON Causes hardware to keep RF carrier

transmission ON after CPL-RFID Tag-
Interface command completion.
OFF Causes hardware to turn RF carrier
transmission OFF after CPL-RFID Tag-
Interface command completion
Response No specific response

Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID TXAFTER OFF
!RFID ?

From Printer:
Setup/Config Parameters:
Assigned Tag Type: ISO15693
| | |
LED Flash Duration: 250 MSecs
SelecTag before Cmd: ON
TxPowerRF after Cmd: OFF
| | |

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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!RFID VOID
Function This command instructs the printer to use this
specified ASCII string to stamp or print on failing
RFID-Tags if and only if !RFID MARK ON is
selected.

Explicit Form !RFID VOID “ASCII-String-to-Stamp-Bad-

Tags”

Parameters “ASCII- Text string to stamp or print on

String-to- failed tags. String must be 0 to
Stamp-Bad- 22 characters in length.
Tags”
Command Type RFID Setup/Debug Command

Example To Printer:
!RFID VOID “<<<BAD RFID TAG>>>”
!RFID MARK ON
!RFID ?

From Printer:
Setup/Config Parameters:
Assigned Tag Type: ISO15693
Mark/OverRide State: ON
VOID Stamp Message: <<<BAD RFID TAG>>>
LED Flash Control: ON
LED Flash Duration: 250 MSecs
SelecTag before Cmd: ON
| | |

NOTE: All CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands

are processed outside the context of a standard CPL
Label-Format, that is, CPL beginning with a header-line
‘! 0 100 nnn 1’ and ending with ‘END’. Attempts to use
CPL-RFID Configuration-Setup Commands within a
Label-Format result are ignored without indication.

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226 Copyright © 2006, Cognitive.

 Chapter

9
Ethernet Printer Information
Ethernet printers are full-featured bar code label and tag printers
designed to interface directly with the Ethernet network. The printer
works with any TCP/IP system. Additionally, it has a Centronics
parallel interface for connection to a standalone computer or terminal.
Many models also have a serial port or USB port.

Note: A special cable is necessary for the C Series parallel and serial ports.

Ethernet Interface
Ethernet Link Indicator
A green LED on the printer rear panel illuminates when there is a
proper Ethernet connection to the hub.

Ethernet Connector
The printer is physically attached to the network by Ethernet cabling,
using a 10Base-T (twisted pair) connection. The Ethernet connector is a
type RJ45 on the printer rear panel. Its pinout is shown below.

Physical Address
The physical address (MAC address) of each printer is assigned at the
factory, and cannot be changed. Each printer's physical address is
indicated on a label affixed to the bottom of the printer.

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 E T H E T N E T P R I N T E R I N F O R M A T I O N

Network Protocols
The printer will work with any system having TCP/IP support. It will
not work with Netware IPX, Microsoft NetBEUI protocol, Appletalk,
LAN Manager, or Microsoft Windows Network.

Network Applications
Cognitive Ethernet equipped printers utilize TCP/IP for their
communications protocol. The printer acts as a remote host, providing
the following application level interfaces:

LPD
The printer acts as an LPD (Line Printer Daemon) to accept print jobs,
and will accept one connection at a time for incoming data. A second
connection is available for status checks. This is the recommended
method for sending print jobs to the printer.

You must use TCP port 515 to connect to the printer using LPR.

TFTP
A TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) daemon implemented on top of
the UDP (User Datagram Protocol) provides a fast way to upload new
code and objects to the printer. You can use TFTP in conjunction with
bootp/DHCP to automatically update the printer firmware or stored
objects.

Connect to the printer using UDP port 69 for TFTP operations.

RTEL
An RTEL (Reverse Telnet) daemon is implemented on top of TCP. This
is a user definable TCP port, allowing a direct socket connection to the
TCP port without data processing. Connection via RTEL is effectively
the same as sending data directly to the printer’s serial or parallel port.

The default RTEL port is 9100.

TELNET
A Telnet daemon is implemented on top of TCP, and can be used to
monitor the printer. The printer will not accept print jobs using the
Telnet port.

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Use TCP port 23 for Telnet connection to the printer. the port supports
the following commands:

BOOTP
Bootp (Boot protocol) is provided to enable dynamic IP address
assignment. Bootp requests are broadcast via UDP port 67. Port 68 will
listen for a response. When Bootp is enabled it will cause a 5 second
delay at turn-on. The printer supports the following Bootptab variables;
all other variables are ignored.

DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) provides a more flexible
dynamic IP address assignment than BOOTP. DHCP requests are
broadcast via UDP port 67, and responses listened for on UDP port 68.
When DHCP is enabled it will cause a slight delay at turn-on
(configurable via the “VARIABLES ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS”
command) as the printer gets offers of IP addresses and decides which
to use. The printer will request the following DHCP options:

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OPTION Name Notes

1 Subnet Mask required

3 Router required

67 Boot file name optional

Printer Configuration
The printer supports several print methods. Select the print method
appropriate for your application.

In most cases, LPD is the recommended method. The printer appears as

a remote host with a remote print queue when using this method.

An alternate method is via a direct socket connection using RTEL in the

printer. Using this method, all data sent is dumped directly into the
printer's text buffer. This approach may be appropriate when
developing an application in C or another high level language that can
make direct socket calls.

Configuration Options
You must configure the printer for your network environment before
using it. Your network administrator should be involved in the process.

If your network supports the DHCP protocol, you may enable DHCP,
then cycle power on the printer with the Ethernet cable plugged in and
the printer will automatically setup by the DHCP server on the
network. If DHCP is disabled, you must select and set the printers’ IP
address, Subnet Mask and Gateway IP address. You may also set the
default Server address if FTP or TFTP transfers will be made to the
printer.

Manual Configuration
To send configuration data to the printer manually:

Connect the printer to a PC or terminal via a USB cable, or use the

optional cables to connect to a RS-232 or Centronics parallel port.

Send a configuration file containing the appropriate VARIABLE

commands to the printer.

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You may disconnect the USB, serial, or parallel port and connect the
printer to your network after sending the configuration data to the
printer. A sample configuration file follows:

! 0 0 0 0
V ETHERNET IP 130.10.50.105
V ETHERNET NETMASK 255.255.0.0
V ETHERNET GATEWAY 130.10.250.1
V WRITE
V ETHERNET RESET
END
The new configuration settings will not take effect until you reset the
printer. In the above example, the VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET
command resets the printer. Turning the printer off and on will also
reset the printer and enable the new settings.

Operation
Printer operation and use is as described in the user's guide, except for
the Ethernet Link Indicator described on page 227 and the printer self
test.

Self Test
To print a printer selftest label, press and hold in the FEED button
while turning the printer on. The printer should print a label showing
the NVRAM settings, including the Ethernet configuration and physical
address (MAC address) as in the following format:

Parameter Data Format

MAC Address xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx (hexadecimal)

IP Address ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd (decimal)

The label will show “Ethernet not Communicating” to indicate that the
printer is not operational over the network. The settings printed may
change after a DHCP initialization allows the printer to start
communicating over the network. Changing the settings manually via
SNMP or by downloading a format containing “VARIABLE

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ETHERNET” commands will change the settings printed, but the

printer will not use these new settings until it has been power-cycled.

Note: Turn the printer off and back on again to clear Hex Dump mode and
resume normal operation.

Variable Commands
Several VARIABLE commands support configuration of the Ethernet
printer. Most of these commands execute simple on-off functions, and
accept ON or OFF as their associated parameters. Follow these rules
when using the VARIABLE commands:

Do not use these commands in label formats that print labels.

Enter all commands as shown. You may abbreviate VARIABLE as V,

but do not use any other abbreviations.

You must reset the printer for the commands to take effect. The
VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET command allows you to easily reset
the printer from a remote location via the Ethernet bus.

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Ethernet Variable Commands

Use the following variable commands to program Ethernet features of
Ethernet printers.

VARIABLE ETHERNET BOOTP VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP VARIABLE ETHERNET IP ADDRESS

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET

VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET

COMMUNITY
VARIABLE ETHERNET FIRMWARE
VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL
VARIABLE ETHERNET GATEWAY
VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL PORT
VARIABLE ETHERNET
JOBSOKINERROR V_ETHERNET_RTEL_TIMEOUT

VARIABLE ETHERNET LPD VARIABLE ETHERNET TEXT

BUFFER
VARIABLE ETHERNET SERVER
VARIABLE ETHERNET NETMASK

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VARIABLE ETHERNET BOOTP

Function Starts up the printer by reading configuration
information from the server.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET BOOTP status

Implicit Form V ETHERNET BOOTP status

Parameters status = Bootp enabled or disabled; ON or OFF.

The default is ON.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET BOOTP ON

Note: The Advantage LX and Del Sol models uses this command to control its
DHCP protocol. All other printer models that have this command when BOOTP
is enabled (ON) will use the BOOTP protocol to configure the printer’s Ethernet
settings after a power-cycle.

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VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP

Function Turns DHCP on or off.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP On/Off/?

Implicit Form V ETHERNET DHCP On/Off/?

Parameters status=DHCP enabled or disabled; ON or OFF.

The default is ON.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP ON

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VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT

Function The criteria by which the printer chooses among
multiple DHCP IP address assignment offers.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT d

Implicit Form V ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT d

Parameters d The number indicating the

criteria
0=FIRST First DHCP offer received by the
printer.
1=LONGEST Longest Lease Time DHCP offer
received by the printer.
2=BOOT First DHCP offer with a Boot
File specified received by the
printer.
3=SHORTEST Shortest Lease Time DHCP offer
received by the printer.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT 0

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VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS

Function This is the number of seconds that the printer is
willing to wait for DHCP offers before failing the
DHCP process if no acceptable offers were received
or picking amongst the acceptable ones.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS seconds

Implicit Form V ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS seconds

Parameters seconds= the number of seconds for the printer to

wait before deciding which DHCP offer to accept.
The default is 5.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS 3

NOTE: The Advantage LX and DelSol LX printers the

number specified by the command is NOT the number
of seconds to wait, but the number of offers to wait for
before deciding which offer to accept. These printers
will wait for five (5) seconds, or until the number of
offers received reaches the specified number. The
range of valid numbers is 1 – 3.

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VARIABLE ETHERNET FIRMWARE

Function The printer compares the pn, rev, and build with
the currently loaded firmware and if the specified
firmware is newer the printer contacts the
indicated TFTP server (server) and requests the file
(fname) be sent to the printer using the TFTP
protocol.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET FIRMWARE pn rev build

fname [server]

Implicit Form V ETHERNET FIRMWARE pn rev build fname

[server]

Parameters The pn (part number), rev (firmware revision), and

build will be specified by the provider of the new
firmware being loaded into the printer.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET FIRMWARE 195-170-110 1.10 01
firmware.110 10.0.0.2

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VARIABLE ETHERNET GATEWAY

Function Sets the gateway.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET GATEWAY

ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd

Implicit Form V ETHERNET GATEWAY ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd

Parameters ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd is the IP address of the subnet’s

router.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET GATEWAY 10.0.0.1

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VARIABLE ETHERNET JOBSOKINERROR

Function Determines whether the printer accepts LPD print
jobs if the printer is in an error condition.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET JOBSOKINERROR

On/Off/?

Implicit Form V ETHERNET JOBSOKINERROR On/Off/?

Parameters status= JOBSOKINERROR enabled or disabled;

ON or OFF. The default is OFF.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET JOBSOKINERROR OFF

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VARIABLE ETHERNET LPD

Function Turns LPD on or off.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET LPD status

Implicit Form V ETHERNET LPD status

Parameters status = LPD enabled or disabled; ON or OFF.

The default is ON.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET LPD ON

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VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET

Function Enables or disables the Telnet communication
protocol services in the printer.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET status

Implicit Form V ETHERNET TELNET status

Parameters status = Telnet enabled or disabled; ON or OFF.

The default is ON.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET ON

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VARIABLE ETHERNET IP
Function Sets the static Ethernet IP address. This is used if
DHCP is not in use..

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET IP ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd

Implicit Form V ETHERNET IP ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd

Parameters ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd is the IP address of the printer.

The default is 000.000.000.000, which is an
INVALID IP address.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET IP 10.0.0.3

Note: In printers that support bootp; this command will not work if bootp is
enabled.

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VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET

Function Resets the printer.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET

Implicit Form V ETHERNET RESET

Parameters None

Example VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET

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VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET COMMUNITY

Function Reset the SNMP COMMUNITY name.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET COMMUNITY

Implicit Form V ETHERNET RESET COMMUNITY

Parameters None

Example VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET COMMUNITY

NOTE: The reset SNMP community name will be

“public”.

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VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL

Function Enables or disables reverse telnet communication
(RTEL) with the printer.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL status

Implicit Form V ETHERNET RTEL status

Parameters status = RTEL enabled or disabled; ON or OFF.

The default is OFF.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL ON

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VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL PORT

Function Sets the reverse telnet (RTEL) port address.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL PORT ddddd

Implicit Form V ETHERNET RTEL PORT ddddd

Parameters ddddd = Reverse telnet port address. The default is

9100.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL PORT 9100

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VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL TIMEOUT

Function The time the printer keeps the connection open
when the port is inactive before closing the
connection.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL TIMEOUT seconds

Implicit Form V ETHERNET RTEL TIMEOUT seconds

Parameters seconds= the number of seconds without receiving

a data packet before the printer closes the
connection.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL TIMEOUT 30

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VARIABLE ETHERNET TEXT BUFFER

Function Sets the size of the Ethernet buffer.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET TXTBFR

bfr_size[,ovrflw_size]

Implicit Form V ETHERNET TXTBFR bfr_size[,ovrflw_size]

Parameters bfr size= Total size of the memory buffer used for
Ethernet communications.
ovrflw size= Number of free bytes in the memory
buffer when the printer declares itself
busy.

NOTE: The ovrflw size parameter is optional, it does not have

to be specified.

Example VARIABLE ETHERNET TXTBFR 32768,4192

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VARIABLE ETHERNET NETMASK

Function Sets Ethernet Subnet Mask.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET NETMASK

ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd

Implicit Form V ETHERNET NETMASK ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd

Parameters ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd is the Subnet Mask of the local

network where the printer is connected.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET NETMASK 255.255.255.0

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VARIABLE ETHERNET SERVER

Function Sets the default DHCP/TFTP server address.

Explicit Form VARIABLE ETHERNET SERVER

ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd

Implicit Form V ETHERNET SERVER ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd

Parameters ddd.ddd.ddd.ddd = the IP address of the selected

DHCP/TFTP server.
Example VARIABLE ETHERNET SERVER 10.0.0.2

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10
Bar Code Information
All rules of bar code symbologies must be followed when creating bar
code commands. Some of the rules for the most commonly used bar code
symbologies are listed below. For more information on bar codes as
supported in Cognitive printers, refer to the BARCODE command
description and Table 2, Printer bar code support.

Uniform Product Code (UPC)

The Uniform Product Code (UPC) family of codes are typically used for
product identification, and include UPCA, UPCA+, UPCE, and UPCE1.
These are numeric codes only, supporting the characters 0 through 9.
All UPC codes start with a number system digit that identifies the type
of product being coded, and end with a checksum digit.

UPCA consists of a number system digit, ten numbers for the product
identification, and a checksum digit. All Cognitive printers
automatically calculate the checksum. The checksum is not printed in
the bar code subtext.

UPCA+ is like UPCA except that extender bars are printed as per
UPCA specification, and the checksum is printed in the bar code
subtext. If a minus sign modifier is specified, the bar code is the same
but the checksum is removed from the bar code subtext.

UPCE is a six-digit variation of the UPC symbology. It always uses

number system zero. You must enter the six numbers of the bar code,
but not the number system digit or the checksum. The printer calculates
the checksum automatically. The bar code is printed with extender bars
and bar code subtext. The bar code subtext shows the system number,
the six digits of the bar code, and the checksum digit. Using the minus
sign bar code modifier removes the checksum from the bar code subtext.

UPCE1 is the same as UPCE, except that it always uses number system
one.

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I2OF5 AND D2OF5

I2OF5 (Interleaved 2 of 5) is an interleaved code, used mainly in the
distribution industry. It supports numbers 0-9 only. It can use a
checksum digit, but the user must calculate and enter the checksum
manually as part of the code. I2OF5 uses start and stop characters,
which the printer generates automatically. Because of the interleaved
pattern, an even number of digits (including the checksum, if used)
must be placed in the bar code string. For example, 0123 is valid, while
123 is not valid.

D2OF5 (Discrete 2 of 5) is a numeric code, often used for envelope

identification and airline ticketing. Data is encoded by bar widths only,
with the spaces between bars only serving to separate the individual
bars. Five binary bits (three 0 and two 1) encode each character. The
binary bits are bar coded in sequential sets of five bars. The code uses
start and stop characters, which the printer automatically adds to the
printed code.

CODE39 and CODE39+

CODE39 is a widely used alphanumeric code that supports numbers
and characters 0- 9, A-Z, ".", space, "$", "/", "+" and "%". It does not
support lowercase characters. Code 39 is self-checking, and does not
normally use a check digit. An asterisk is used as a start and stop
character, and the printer automatically adds it to the bar code. The
asterisk does not normally print as part of the bar code subtext. If you
put an asterisk before and after the bar code data, it will appear with
the bar code subtext but will not be added to the code.

CODE39+ is the HIBC (Health Industry Bar Code) standard symbology.

It is similar to normal Code 39, except it uses an automatically
generated check digit. The check digit does not appear in the bar code
subtext.

CODE93
CODE93 is similar to Code 39. It can encode 48 different characters,
and with the use of control characters, typically encodes the entire 128
ASCII characters. Each encoded character in a Code 93 symbol is
represented by three variable width bars and spaces.

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The characters represented by Code 39 are represented in Code 93 as

single bar code characters, but all other Code 93 characters are
represented by a control character plus another character. You must
take this into account when estimating bar code length.

EAN, EAN8, and EAN13

EAN (European Article Numbering) codes are an extension of the UPC
system. A bar code scanner set to read EAN can read UPC; however, a
scanner set for UPC may not read EAN. The EAN codes use a checksum
character, which the printer automatically calculates. EAN codes are
available in two versions: EAN13, which codes 13 digits, and EAN8,
which codes 8 digits.

EAN13 has the same number of bars as UPCA. It encodes a number

system character, eleven data digits, and a checksum. You must enter a
number system character and eleven data digits. The printer calculates
and adds the check digit, but the check digit does not print in the bar
code subtext. EAN13+ is the same code printed with extender bars and
with the check digit in the bar code subtext.

EAN8 encodes a number system character, six data digits, and a

checksum. The printer calculates and adds the check digit, but the
check digit does not print in the bar code subtext. EAN8+ prints the
same code with extender bars and with the check digit in the bar code
subtext.

ADD2, ADD5
ADD2 is a two digit add-on for UPC and EAN. ADD5 is a five digit add-
on for UPC and EAN.

NOTE: Although ADD2 and ADD5 are add-ons to UPC and EAN, they must be
entered in label formats as separate bar codes. Placement and size of ADD2
and ADD5 is independent of the UPC or EAN code.

CODABAR
CODABAR supports numbers 0-9 and the special characters ":", ".", "$",
"+" and "-". It requires you to frame the numeric data with valid
start/stop character pairs; for example, A0123B, where A is the start
and B is the stop character. The valid start characters are designated A,
B, C, and D. The valid stop characters are designated T, N, *, and E.

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Since you may use any of the four start/stop characters on either end of
the symbol, there are 16 possible combinations. These combinations can
identify the product type or other information.

PLESSEY AND MSI1

PLESSEY code supports numerals 0-9, plus six additional characters
(typically A-F). PLESSEY uses a check digit, but the check digit may be
calculated several different ways. To allow the user some flexibility the
printer does not calculate or print the check digit. You must calculate
and enter the check digit manually, according to the requirements of
your bar code system.

MSI is a modified PLESSEY code that uses two check digits. The
printer automatically calculates and adds the check digits. The check
digits are not printed in the bar code subtext.

MSI1 is another modified PLESSEY code that uses one check digit.
Again, the printer will automatically calculate and add the check digit.
The check digits are not printed in the bar code subtext.

MAXICODE
MAXICODE is a fixed-size, two-dimensional bar code symbology
consisting of a matrix of hexagonal elements arranged around a bull’s-
eye "finder pattern." MaxiCode uses five code sets (designated A
through E) to encode all 256 characters of the extended ASCII character
set. Cognitive’s implementation of MaxiCode only supports code set A at
present. This code set can represent the uppercase characters A - Z,
numerals 0 - 9, most common punctuation marks, and a few special
symbols.

PDF417
PDF417 (an abbreviation for Portable Data File 417), originally
developed by Symbol Technologies, Inc., is a two-dimensional stacked
bar code symbology. It is a highly compact medium for encoding any
data representable by the 256 characters of the International Character
Set.

The codeword is the basic unit of a PDF417 bar code. All data encoded
using PDF417 is first converted to a decimal value between 0 and 928
inclusive, since there are 928 discrete symbols that can be represented

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by the allowable pattern of bars and spaces in each codeword. The

printer converts the raw data to a series of numeric values following
rules that provide optimum data compression. PDF417 provides several
different rule sets, or modes, for optimum data compression.

PDF417 provides error detection and correction within the bar code
block. The thoroughness of the automatic error checking is called the
security level of the code. There are eight security levels, numbered 0-8,
as shown below.
Security Error
Level Limit
0 0
1 2
2 6
3 14
4 30
5 62
6 126
7 254
8 510

As long as the number of unreadable or missing code words in the bar

code block is less than the number indicated for the applicable security
level, the code may be read without error.

A high security level provides very reliable data encoding. However, the
bar code block gets bigger with increasing security, since more
codewords are needed to provide the necessary error checking data.
Processing speed also increases significantly with increasing security,
since more error checking calculations are performed.

Cognitive printers automatically handle most of the decisions and tasks

associated with printing PDF417 bar codes. They select the best mode
for the data, encode it, and do all calculations associated with start and
stop characters and error-checking.

POSTNET
POSTNET is designed for use with the nine digit ZIP + 4 postal code.
Each character to be encoded is represented by five bar code elements,
with each element being either a short or tall bar followed by a space.
The bar and space widths are constant.

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Postnet uses a start and stop bar and a modulo 10 check digit. Cognitive
printers automatically calculate and add this digit to the code.

CODE128 A, B, C
CODE128 uses 106 unique characters in three character sets to
represent the numerals 0 through 9, the English alphabet in both upper
and lowercase, some punctuation, and some special characters.
Cognitive Solutions printers automatically calculate and add the
checksum character, as well as any required start and stop characters.
CODE128A, CODE128B, and CODE128C are the three character sets
of the CODE128 symbology.

CODE128A can encode punctuation, the digits 0 through 9, the English

alphabet in uppercase only, the standard ASCII control codes, and the
special characters shown in Table 2.

CODE128B can encode punctuation, digits 0 through 9, the English

alphabet in both upper and lowercase, and the special characters in the
table following.

CODE128C is numeric only, and encodes numbers 00 through 99 plus

the special characters shown in the table. It encodes numbers more
efficiently than CODE128A or CODE128B, since the numbers are
encoded as double digits.

Cognitive printers can handle special characters like the bell character
that are contained in the CODE128 specification by using the caret (^)
character followed by the two digit number of the character to be
printed. The caret character works only with numbers between 0 and
38. The first 32 characters (0 to 31) will print the character represented
by its ASCII number; for instance, ^07 will print the BELL character
and ^13 will print the carriage return character. The two digit numbers
from 32 to 38 will print the special characters shown below.

2 Digit CODE128A CODE128B CODE128C CODE128

Code auto
32 FNC3 FNC3 invalid FNC3
33 FNC2 FNC2 invalid FNC2
34 SHIFT SHIFT invalid invalid
35 CODE C CODE C invalid invalid
36 CODE B FNC4 CODE B FNC4
37 FNC4 CODE A CODE A FNC4
38 FNC1 FNC1 FNC1 FNC1

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If you want a caret to actually appear on the label, place a caret before
every caret you want printed. For example, ^^ prints one caret, and
^^^^ prints two carets.

When the version of CODE128 is selected in the printer command file,

the printer takes care of inserting the correct start character and stop
character for the version of CODE128 selected. Only visible characters
are centered and printed under the bar code.

Specifying CODE128 without the A, B, or C modifier will cause the

printer to automatically select and shift among the three symbology
versions for optimum data compression, resulting in the smallest
possible bar code.

Example 1 Print the CODE128A bar code ABCD followed by a

BELL character and a carriage return character.
! 0 120 115 1
BARCODE CODE128A 152 62 20 ABCD^07^13
STRING 12X16 149 12 CODE 128A
END

Example 2 Print the CODE128B bar code ABCD1234. To keep

the bar code width as small as possible without
automatic mode switching, use ^35 to switch to
code C right before the 1234 part of the string.
! 0 120 115 1
BARCODE CODE128B 132 62 20 ABCD^351234
STRING 12X16 132 12 CODE128B
END

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Example 3 Print the CODE128C bar code 1234567.

CODE128C is a double digit bar code, printing the
same bar code number in half the width as
CODE128A. Because it is a double digit bar code, it
will accept an even number of digits only.
! 0 120 115 1
BARCODE CODE128C 152 66 20 12345678
STRING 12 X 16 140 22 CODE 128C
END

CODE16K
CODE16K is a multi-row symbology based on CODE128. It offers the
features of CODE128 with the added density of a two-dimensional bar
code. Each CODE16K symbol consists of from two to sixteen rows. Each
row consists of a leading quiet zone, a start character, a guard bar, five
symbol characters, a stop character, and a trailing quiet zone. Rows are
separated from each other by a separator bar, and there are separator
bars at the top and bottom of the symbol as well.

As with CODE128, CODE16K has three unique character sets as shown

in table 4. But unlike CODE128, Cognitive printers automatically select
the best character set for the encoded data when using CODE16K. The
user does not need to specify the character set when programming
CODE16K bar codes.

You can encode special characters, such as the bell, using the caret
character as with CODE128. The special character assignments for
some characters differ slightly, as shown below.
2 Digit Code Function
33 FNC3
34 FNC3
35 N/A
36 N/A
37 FNC4
38 FNC4
39 FNC1

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11
Media Tips and Tricks
Labels are available in a large variety of types and sizes. Some label
characteristics must be taken into account when programming the
printer.

Media characteristics that can affect printer programming and printer

performance are:

Label/tag size and shape Relates to the WIDTH, VARIABLE WIDTH

and VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT commands.

Adhesive type Can affect printer peelback performance.

Print method Relates to the VARIABLE PRINT_MODE

command.

Cut type Relates to the VARIABLE FEED_TYPE,

VARIABLE NO_MEDIA, INDEX, and
NOINDEX commands.

Media sensitivity Relates to the VARIABLE DARKNESS and

VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST commands.

Label/tag Size and Shape

Label and tag stock is available in an almost infinite variety of sizes and
shapes. If an existing style does not fit your requirement, custom stock
can usually be created. Your application will determine the design. The
only absolute limitation on label size is the printer's maximum print
width.

When printing on media that is narrower than the printer's maximum

print width, you may have to adjust the width and print position with
the WIDTH or VARIABLE WIDTH commands or the VARIABLE SHIFT
LEFT command.

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Adhesives
Labels can come without adhesive (e.g. tag or receipt stock), or with
many different types of adhesive, including:

• Standard adhesives, used for normal applications

• Removable adhesives for labels to be used, then removed
• Special adhesives for use under extreme conditions, such as
high or low temperatures and humidity
• Spot adhesives (adhesive applied to selected label areas)
When using a new adhesive type, test samples of labels having the new
adhesive before applying them in large quantities.

The type of adhesive used can affect the performance of peeler-equipped

printers when using peel back mode. Labels can sometimes cling too
tightly to their backing to peel cleanly. Consult your Cognitive Solutions
dealer or the factory for peel back mode compatibility information.

Print Method (Direct Thermal or Thermal

Transfer)
Thermal printers use either direct thermal or thermal transfer printing.
Direct thermal printing creates the printed image by changing the color
of the label media with applied heat, while thermal transfer printing
creates the printed image by transferring ink from a ribbon to the label
media with applied heat. Direct thermal media is suitable for many
indoor applications where environmental conditions are mild and labels
are not expected to be in place for long periods. Use thermal transfer
media when preparing labels for use in more demanding environments.

Cognitive Thermal transfer printers can operate in thermal transfer or

direct thermal mode, but must be set for the proper mode with the
VARIABLE PRINT_MODE command.

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Cut Type (Butt Cut, Gap Cut, or Continuous
Form)
Butt cut labels are separated from each other by a simple cut, leaving
square edges. Gap cut labels are separated by a gap. Labels may be
made in many shapes for special purposes such as the "butterfly" shape
used for jewelry and eyeglass labels. Continuous form media has no
perforation, gap, or bar and is typically used with cutter-equipped
printers like the Blaster CL.

The cut type may affect label indexing:

• Butt-cut labels have no gap, and so must have black bars

preprinted on the label backing in order for them to index
properly. When using butt-cut labels in your Cognitive
printer, set the index type to BAR using the VARIABLE
FEED_TYPE command.
• Gap cut labels may or may not actually have a detectable gap,
depending on the die design. If the gap cut labels have at least
1/8" gap between them, you may use gap indexing. If the gap
is less than 1/8", you must use black bar indexing.
Most printers will assume they are out of media if they are operating in
gap indexing mode and do not detect the next label after feeding 1" of
media. This behavior is controlled by the VARIABLE NO_MEDIA
command. You may have to adjust this parameter when using media
that has an unusually long gap between labels.

Continuous form media is typically used with tearbar or cutter-

equipped printers. Cutter printers will cut the media after reaching the
last dot row as defined by the Max Y value in the Header Line,
providing there is an INDEX command in the label format or VARIABLE
AUTOCUT is ON.

NOTE: Cutter-equipped printers like the Barcode Blaster CL have very

stringent media requirements. Using any media other than that specifically
approved for use in the printer may cause serious damage.

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Media Sensitivity
Different media types exhibit different heat sensitivity. The
VARIABLE_DARKNESS command controls the amount of printhead heat.

Different media types can also exhibit different response times. The
media is in motion while the printhead dots are heating and cooling, so
areas of the label that theoretically should stay white are subjected to
temperatures close to their darkening temperature. This can result in
some bleeding of dark areas into light areas. This can adversely affect
the reliability of rotated bar codes. Increasing print speed and print
darkness tend to increase bleeding, so speed and darkness can interact
to affect the reliability of rotated bar codes.

Some Cognitive printers support the VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST

command, which can reduce print bleeding in some cases. Printers that
support this command employ an advanced "dot history" algorithm,
which tracks the activity of each printhead dot from one dot row to the
next. If a given dot was off prior to being commanded on, the printer will
apply a little extra energy to the dot to force it to come up to full
temperature faster, thus improving the contrast on the leading edges of
objects. This can significantly improve the reliability of rotated bar
codes.

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12
Troubleshooting
Most programming problems quickly resolve themselves with careful
examination of the offending label format or program code. When you
cannot solve a problem by simply reviewing your work, your best
approach is to start troubleshooting using the information in your User’s
Guide.

NOTE: Some programming problems can masquerade as hardware problems.

If your printer seems to be broken but the information in the User's Guide does
not point to a solution, review "Common problems and their solutions" below.

If you know or suspect that you have a hardware problem, refer to your
User’s Guide. If you aren’t sure, try these preliminary tests to help
isolate the problem:

8. Run a printer self-test.

If the printer will not print a self-test label, follow the procedures in
the User’s Guide to resolve that problem first. The printer will not
respond to incoming data if it will not print a self-test label.
9. Print a proven label format.

If you have a known-good label format, try printing it before

troubleshooting new label formats. If the proven format will not
print, look for a communication problem. If the proven format does
print, you will have eliminated most of the possible hardware-
related problems.
10. Try printing a label format written on your system.

Sometimes the host operating system or text editor produces data

that is incompatible with the printer. Creating a simple label format
using the host system and sending the format to the printer helps
isolate this problem. Something like this will do:
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
! 0 100 20 1

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STRING 8X8 10 10 HELLO

END
If the printer will not print this label but does print labels that were
prepared on another system, your system may not be compatible
with the printer. The most common cause of this is improper end-of-
line termination.
NOTE: Hex dump mode allows you to see every character that reaches the
printer. Use of hex dump mode can help resolve some programming problems.

11. Check the label format header line.

When a particular label format will not print or is cut off at the
bottom, the trouble is frequently in the header line. Check the
header line before continuing. Especially check that the header line
begins with the proper mode character and specifies the correct
number of dot rows. When programming portable printers, the
header line should be preceded by the wake-up string.
12. "Comment out" portions of the nonworking label format until
your results improve.

You can usually isolate a bad printer command by placing a "C"

before selected command lines. Begin by commenting out the most
complex lines, then try printing the format again. If the problem
persists, try commenting out every line between the header line and
the END statement, then add lines one at a time to see which lines
are at fault.
After you have isolated the portion of the format that does not work,
examine it for errors or test it by itself in a simpler format.
NOTE: When examining label formats, look for instances where the letters "O"
or "I" have been incorrectly entered for the numbers 0 and 1. These are very
common typographical errors.

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Common Issues
This section describes printing issues that you may encounter and
suggestions for resolving them.

Printer does not respond to incoming data.

13. Cause: The label format does not terminate with a proper END
command.

Cure: Terminate all label formats with an END command, unless

specifically instructed otherwise by a particular command
description. Terminate every format line with a carriage return and
line feed.
14. Cause: The host system is not sending pure ASCII data.

Cure: Check your system documentation to confirm that the host is

sending ASCII data. Some software uses formatting that is
incompatible with ASCII driven devices.
15. Cause: The label format contains an incompatible command.
Some commands will only work with certain printers.

Cure: Rewrite the label format as required, removing incompatible

commands.
16. Cause: The label format contains extraneous control characters,
such as "@" or "#."

Cure: Be careful when using reserved characters in label formats.

You can print the @ sign and other reserved characters, but if you
use such characters at the beginning of a line the printer may
"hang."
17. Cause: If you are sending data to a 4.25" portable printer it may
be asleep.

Cure: Precede every label format sent to a 4.25" portable with the
proper wake-up string.

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Printer prints the label format text rather than the intended
label.

Cause: You are sending the label format to the printer from
Microsoft Windows, and the current printer driver is converting the
label format to ASCII commands. For example, you are using the
Cognitive Windows driver or a similar printer driver.
Cure: Use the "generic ASCII" driver when sending label formats to
the printer from Windows.
Cure: Instead of printing the files from Windows, invoke MS-DOS
and copy the files to the printer port using the DOS COPY command.
Printer prints one label, then stops.

18. Cause: The label format contains a HALT command.

Cure: Remove the HALT command, or press the printer’s feed button
to print the next label.
19. Cause: The printer’s Label Taken mode is enabled, in printers so
equipped.

Cure: Remove each label from the printer as it is finished.

Printed labels are blank.

20. Cause: Possible hardware problem.

Cure: Refer to the printer User’s Guide.

21. Cause: The print width is too narrow for the label format design.

Cure: Correct the print width setting with a WIDTH or VARIABLE

WIDTH command.
22. Cause: The label image has been shifted out of the printable area
with a VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT command.

Cure: Send another VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT command to correct

the label position.

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Printer prints labels, but print quality is poor.

23. Cause: Possible hardware problem.

Cure: Refer to the printer User’s Guide.

24. Cause: Incorrect print media, for example, using direct thermal
paper while printing in thermal transfer mode.

Cure: Load the correct print media for your printer and application.
Confirm that the software is setting the printer for the correct print
method.
25. Cause: Using Value Grade media in a printer set up for standard
media.

Cure: Either switch to standard media, or set the printer up for

Value Grade media.
26. Cause: Incorrect parameter in a VARIABLE DARKNESS
command. This can happen when using a different printer than
the one for which the format was originally written. Some older
printers use a different value range for VARIABLE DARKNESS
than currently-manufactured printers.

Cure: Experiment with the VARIABLE DARKNESS command to find

the best setting for your printer and print media.
27. Cause: Printer speed setting is too high. Some print media do not
print well at high speed.

Cure: Use the appropriate VARIABLE command to reduce printer

speed, or try different media.
Print is stretched or shrunk vertically.

28. Cause: Dot time in header line is incorrect.

29. Cause: Label format was written for a different (typically, an

earlier or later model) printer.

Cure: Try another value for dot time. If designing a turnkey software
package, provide for user adjustment of dot time. Allow for printer
limitations in this regard. For example, Barcode Blaster LS and
Blaster Advantage printers only support dot time 100.

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30. Cause: If programming a high speed Barcode Blaster, Blazer

Emulation Mode may be enabled.

Cure: Disable Blazer Emulation Mode unless your application

strictly requires it.
Printer does not index properly.

31. Cause: The printer received a NOINDEX command. NOINDEX

remains in effect until the printer is turned off or receives an
INDEX command.

Cure: Send the printer an INDEX command. Confirm that your label
format does not contain an unwanted NOINDEX.
32. Cause: For printers that can use both black bar and gap
indexing, the printer may be set for the wrong index type.

Cure: Change print media or set the printer up for the proper
indexing mode. See the sample printer configuration files for more
information.
33. Cause: The printer index detector needs calibration.

Cure: If you are using a Code Courier printer, calibrate the index
detector according to the instructions in your User's Guide. If using a
Barcode Blaster or Blaster Advantage, refer to the VARIABLE
INDEX SETTING command for index calibration information.
34. Cause: Butt-cut label stock is loaded. The printer may be
indexing properly, but with butt-cut stock the labels may not
index to the label perforation, depending on the black bar
position.

Cure: None. This is a normal condition. Use gap stock if this

behavior is unacceptable.
NOTE: The Del Sol’s lower index sensor must be in the center position for Gap
indexing.

Printer skips labels during printing.

35. Cause: Max Y value in Header line is too large.

Cure: Recalculate Max Y value.

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36. Cause: Dot time in header line is too large.

Cure: Reduce dot time.

37. Cause: Label format was designed for a different printer model or
for a printer with different dot time behavior.

Cure: Adjust the label format accordingly.

Printer prints the wrong number of labels.

Cause: The header line specifies the wrong number of labels.

Cure: Correct the header line. Remember that when using the
MULTIPLE command, the number of labels specified in the header
line is the total quantity, counting side-by-side duplicates, not the
number of vertical forms fed.
Label processing stops unexpectedly.

38. Cause: The printer has stopped processing due to a hardware

problem.

Cure: Consult your printer’s User’s Guide.

39. Cause: The printer has encountered a bad label format in a series
of formats within one file.

Cure: Isolate the bad label format by copying each format to a

different file and testing it individually. After isolating the bad
format, troubleshoot as usual. Reassemble the whole file and try it
again after the bad format is working.
Printer will not print at high speed.

40. Cause: The printer has received a VARIABLE LOWSPEED or

VARIABLE NORMAL command.

Cure: Send the printer a VARIABLE HIGHSPEED command.

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41. Cause: If you are using a high speed Barcode Blaster, the printer
may have received one of the following commands or command
parameters:

MULTIPLE
OFFSET
WIDTH
VARIABLE MODE 1 or VARIABLE MODE 2
Nonzero header line X parameter
These will cause the printer to reduce speed while printing.

Cure: Rewrite your label format to avoid these commands.

Cutter-equipped printer does not cut labels.

Cause: VARIABLE AUTOCUT is OFF, and the label formats do not

contain a HALT command.
Cure: Send the printer a VARIABLE AUTOCUT ON command, or
place a HALT command in each label format.
Random dots on label, or printed labels are truncated at the
bottom.

Cause: The label format exceeds printer memory limits.

Cure: Rewrite the format to use less memory.
Printed label is greatly elongated and is "grayed".

Cause: The label format contains more than one PITCH command.
Cure: Remove any extraneous PITCH commands.

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Numeric values do not increment properly in response to the

ADJUST command.

42. Cause: The numeric value you wish to adjust has more digits
than the parameter specified in the ADJUST command.

Cure: Pad the ADJUST parameter with leading zeros as required.

43. Cause: You are trying to adjust a numeric value to a number
with more digits than the original value.

Cure: Pad the original value with leading zeros as required.

44. Cause: You are using a MULTIPLE command with ADJUST.

Cure: This is acceptable, but remember: ADJUST will only increment

the adjusted numeric value when the printer feeds a label. Duplicate
labels printed side-by-side will always be identical.
45. Cause: You are trying to increment numeric data that does not
appear at the end of a command line.

Cure: This may be acceptable, but the ADJUST command can only
increment numeric data. If alpha characters follow the numeric
data, you must follow the ADJUST parameter with enough zeros to
pad the increment value away from the alpha characters.
Bar code or string positioning is incorrect.

Cause: A required space was left out or an extra space was inserted
somewhere in the BARCODE or STRING command, causing the
printer to interpret the parameters incorrectly.
Cure: Use blank spaces as shown in the command descriptions.
Ultra Font or TEXT font positioning is incorrect.

Cause: The label format has a JUSTIFY command in it that you have
not accounted for.
Cure: Each JUSTIFY command in a format will remain in effect for
the rest of the format or up to the next JUSTIFY. Insert new
JUSTIFY commands where required.

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STRING or TEXT fonts do not work.

Cause: The memory area containing the STRING or TEXT fonts has
been unintentionally initialized, erasing the fonts. See the
INITIALIZE STORAGE command for more information.
Cure: You will have to reload the fonts into nonvolatile RAM.
Contact the factory for assistance.
Printed bar codes will not scan.

46. Cause: The bar code block is located too near the label edge, or
too close to another label component.

Cure: Redesign the label for better component positioning.

47. Cause: You are trying to encode characters that the selected bar
code type will not support.

Cure: Use the information here and in the printer’s User’s Guide to
assure that you are following the rules of the selected bar code
symbology.
FILL_BOX does not produce reversed (black to white) text as
expected.

Cause: The order of commands in the label format is incorrect.

Cure: Rearrange the order of commands in the label format as
required. FILL_BOX must follow the commands that define the label
component you want to reverse.
The printer ignores some commands in the label format.

48. Cause: There is an illegitimate command in the label format.

Some printers interpret unknown commands as END commands.

Cure: Check the label format syntax, especially that of the first
ignored command.
49. Cause: The label format was written for a different printer model
or firmware revision, and the ignored commands are not
supported by your printer.

Cure: Rewrite the label format as required.

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Graphics Programming Issues

Graphics programming is inherently more complex than ASCII
programming, but is subject to the same problems. Resolve any ASCII
programming problems before spending too much time troubleshooting
graphics files.

If you can successfully print ASCII format files, try printing a proven
graphics label format file. If a proven graphics file will not print, suspect
a printer/host communications problem. Continue troubleshooting using
the information below if a proven graphics file prints satisfactorily.

Printer does not print graphics.

50. Cause: You are not sending pure binary data to the printer.

Cure: Do not try to send graphics data to the printer using a text
editor or word processor. Text editors format their output as
printable characters rather than pure binary. Program graphics
using software that is designed to handle pure binary data.
51. Cause: the graphics file does not start with the proper character.

Cure: Always start foreground graphics files with the @ character

(ASCII 64). Start background graphics files with the # character
(ASCII 35). Labels programmed in the background do not print
immediately. They remain in memory and print with a foreground
label format.
52. Cause: Your graphics file does not contain enough data to fill the
specified number of dot rows.

Cure: Always send exactly enough data to fill the number of rows
specified in the format header line. Consider reducing print width or
use the LOGO command when printing small graphics.
Printer prints a random pattern instead of the expected bitmap.

53. Cause: The printer is set for a different pitch or width than the
graphics file was designed for.

Cure: Before sending graphics to the printer, send a dummy label

format consisting of a header line, WIDTH command, PITCH
command, and END statement. This assures that the printer is set
properly before sending the graphics data.

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54. Cause: The graphics file is too large for the available memory
space.

Cure: Calculate available printer memory and confirm that your

graphics file will fit. Remember that the available memory is cut in
half when using background graphics mode. If you are near the
memory limits, you may have to rewrite the graphics file.
Random dots or lines appear on the finished label.

55. Cause: The host system is appending unwanted end-of-line

terminators to the graphics data.

Cure: Print your graphics format to a file and then upload the file to
the printer instead of sending the data directly to the printer.
Cure: Check your development platform’s documentation to see how
you can control end-of-line termination.
56. Cause: The graphics file is too large for the available memory
space.

Cure: Rewrite the file as required.

Part of the graphics image is garbled or blank.

Cause: The graphics file is too large for the available memory space.
Cure: Rewrite the file as required.
Graphics labels print, but are reversed.

Cause: Bitmap was mapped backwards. Recently-manufactured

printers map the printhead from right to left. Some older printers
map the printhead from left to right. Graphics files designed for
older printers may print backwards when sent to a newer printer.
Cure: When manually designing graphics files, calculate the data
based on a mirror image of the original design. If you are designing a
turnkey software package, take the possibility of bitmap reversal
into account in your design.

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Index

! E
!D · 97 END · 42
!I · 105 Ethernet Commands
!L · 106 BOOTP · 234
!R · 98 VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP · 235
!R M · 113 VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_CRIT · 236
!R V · 114 VARIABLE ETHERNET DHCP_OFFERS · 237
!S · 99 VARIABLE ETHERNET FIRMWARE · 238
VARIABLE ETHERNET GATEWAY · 239
VARIABLE ETHERNET IP · 243
A VARIABLE ETHERNET JOBSOKINERROR ·
240
VARIABLE ETHERNET LPD · 241
ADJUST · 18
VARIABLE ETHERNET NETMASK · 250
ADJUST_DUP · 20
VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET · 244
AREA_CLEAR · 21
VARIABLE ETHERNET RESET COMMUNITY ·
245
VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL · 246
B VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL PORT · 247
VARIABLE ETHERNET RTEL TIMEOUT · 248
BARCODE · 22 VARIABLE ETHERNET SERVER · 251
BARCODE PDF417 · 30 VARIABLE ETHERNET TELNET · 242
BARCODE UPS · 34 VARIABLE ETHERNET TEXT BUFFER · 249
BARCODE_FONT · 27

F
C
FILL_BOX · 43
commands Format Recall · 98
menu · 115 Format Store · 99
printer setup · 133
RFID · 197
standard printer · 17 G
VARIABLE · 133, 191
COMMENT · 38
GRAPHIC · 45
compatibility · 5
GRAPHIC STORE · 103
contact · iii
Graphics mode · 47

D H
DATASKIP · 189
HALT · 50
DEFINE VARIABLE · 108
Header line · 51
Delete Stored Object · 97
DELIMIT · 107
DOUBLE · 39
DRAW_BOX · 40

Copyright © 2006, Cognitive. 277

 !RFID HOST · 214
I !RFID LEDFLSH · 215
!RFID LEDTIME · 216
INDEX · 55 !RFID MARK · 217
Initialize Storage · 105 !RFID RDAFTWT · 218
!RFID RETRY · 219
!RFID SSONCMD · 220
J !RFID TAGTYPE · 221
!RFID TIMEOUT · 222
JUSTIFY · 56 !RFID TXAFTER · 224
!RFID VOID · 225
RF HOST · 202
RF ID_GET · 201
L RF LOCATION · 211
RF TYPE · 208
label RF VAR_CLEAR · 203
skipping · 171 RF_BLKSZ · 210
List Stored Objects · 106 RF_IDNUM · 209
LOGO mode · 58 RT · 204
WT · 205
WTLOCK · 206
M ROTATE R90, R180, R270 · 72

MENU ACTION · 119

MENU CONTROL · 122 S
MENU END · 124
MENU EXIT · 125 skipping · 171
MENU ITEM · 126 storing data · 95
MENU MESSAGE · 128 STRING · 74
MENU START · 129 syntax · 2
MULTIPLE · 60

T
N
TEXT · 78
NOINDEX · 62 TIME · 81

P U
PITCH · 63 ULTRA_FONT · 87
PROMPTS · 188 Universal Clear · 86

Q V
QUANTITY · 65 VARIABLE ALLOCATE · 136
QUERY REVISION · 66 VARIABLE AUTOCUT · 137
QUERY STATUS · 67 VARIABLE AUXPOWER · 138
VARIABLE BACKLIGHT · 139
VARIABLE BEEPER · 140
R VARIABLE BUFFER_TIMED_RESET · 141
VARIABLE COMM · 143
RECALL GRAPHIC · 104 VARIABLE CONTRAST · 145
Recall Menu · 113, 131 VARIABLE DARKNESS · 146
Recall Variable · 114 VARIABLE ENERGY · 148
RFID commands · 197 VARIABLE FEED_TYPE · 149
RFID Commands VARIABLE HIGHSPEED · 150
!RFID ? · 212 VARIABLE INDEX · 152
!RFID CONFIRM · 213 VARIABLE INDEX SETTING · 153

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VARIABLE IRDA · 156 VARIABLE RESET · 179

VARIABLE IRDA COMM · 157 VARIABLE SHIFT LEFT · 181
VARIABLE IRDA PROTOCOL · 158 VARIABLE SLEEP_AFTER · 180
VARIABLE LOWSPEED · 159 VARIABLE TEXT BUFFER · 182
VARIABLE MEDIA_ADJUST · 160 VARIABLE USER_FEEDBACK · 184
VARIABLE MODE · 164 VARIABLE WIDTH · 185
VARIABLE NO_MEDIA · 166 VARIABLE WRITE · 186
VARIABLE NORMAL · 167 VARIABLES ON/OFF · 169
VARIABLE OFF AFTER · 168
VARIABLE PITCH · 170
VARIABLE POSITION · 171 W
VARIABLE PRESENTLABEL · 172
VARIABLE PRINT_MODE · 175
Wake-up string · 90
VARIABLE READ · 176
WIDTH · 92
VARIABLE RECALIBRATE · 177
VARIABLE REPORT_LEVEL · 178

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280 Copyright © 2006, Cognitive.