Microcom 48-466 User manual

MODEL 48-466
THERMAL PRINT MECHANISM
OPERATOR'S MANUAL
Part Number 8800XX-0100
- Revised 02/04/98 MSG -
Preliminary Release
Centronics is a registered trademark of Data Computer Corporation.
HP and LaserJet II are trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Company.
Arial is a registered trademark of The Monotype Corporation.
Other products, names, and brands are trademarks of their respective holders.
Arial Typeface is Copyright © 1991 The Monotype Corporation. All rights reserved.
FastFont Typefaces are Copyright © 1993, Page Technology Marketing, Inc.
This manual is subject to change without notice.
Copyright © 1998 Microcom Corporation, Westerville, Ohio - All rights reserved.
Printed in the U.S.A.

48-466 Operators Manual
Table of Contents
List of Tables .................................................................v
List of Figures .................................................................v
Introduction ...................................................................1
CHAPTER 1: FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS ...................................3
1.1 SPECIAL FEATURES ..............................................3
1.2 BAR CODES .....................................................3
1.3 FONTS ..........................................................4
1.4 PRINTING ........................................................4
1.5 INTERFACE COMMUNICATIONS .....................................4
1.6 PHYSICAL .......................................................4
1.7 ENVIRONMENT ...................................................4
1.8 ELECTRICAL .....................................................5
1.9 APPROVALS .....................................................5
CHAPTER 2: BASIC OPERATION ................................................7
2.1 FRONT PANEL SWITCHES AND STATUS LIGHTS ......................7
2.1.1 NORMAL MODE ............................................7
2.1.2 STATUS LABEL MODE .......................................7
2.1.3 PAPER-OUT MODE .........................................8
2.2 THE STATUS LIGHTS AND SOUNDS .................................9
2.3 LOADING PAPER .................................................9
2.4 CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS .........................................9
CHAPTER 3: COMMUNICATIONS ...............................................11
3.1 CABLE PINOUT ..................................................11
3.2 PRINTER CABLES ...............................................12
CHAPTER 4: DESIGNING LABELS USING LDS ....................................13
4.1 CONTROL CHARACTERS .........................................13
4.2 GETTING STARTED ..............................................13
4.2.1 PC CONNECTION (SERIAL) ..................................13
4.2.2 PC CONNECTION (PARALLEL) ...............................14
4.2.3 LEARNING LDS ............................................14
4.3 FORMATTING LABELS: AN OVERVIEW ..............................15
4.4 LABEL HEADER .................................................17
4.4.1 A SAMPLE SESSION (HEADER) ..............................21
4.5 LABEL FIELDS ...................................................21
4.5.1 BIT MAPPED TEXT, BAR CODE, AND DOWNLOADED FONT/GRAPHIC
FIELDS ...................................................21
4.5.2 LINES ....................................................28
4.5.3 A SAMPLE SESSION (FIELDS) ...............................30
CHAPTER 5: PRINTER COMMANDS .............................................31
5.1 SPECIAL PRINTER CONTROL CODES ..............................31
5.2 PRINTER ENQUIRIES .............................................32
5.3 SENDING ^D PRINTER COMMANDS .................................33
5.3.1 SOFTWARE DIP SWITCHES AND NON-VOLATILE COMMANDS ....34

Table of Contents
48-466 Operators Manual
5.3.2 PRINTING COMMANDS ......................................39
5.3.4 REAL-TIME CLOCK .........................................41
5.3.5 SERIAL NUMBER COMMANDS ...............................43
5.3.6 SAVING FORMAT COMMANDS ...............................45
5.3.7 LABEL PRESENCE SENSOR CONTROL .......................48
5.3.8 TEXT STRINGS COMMANDS .................................49
CHAPTER 6: DOWNLOADABLE GRAPHIC IMAGES ................................51
6.1 PROCEDURE FOR USING PCX2466.EXE UTILITY .....................51
6.2 GRAPHIC IMAGE STRUCTURE .....................................51
6.3 DOWNLOADABLE GRAPHICS COMMAND SUMMARY ..................53
CHAPTER 7: DOWNLOADABLE FONTS .........................................55
7.1 PROCEDURE FOR USING JET2466.EXE UTILITY ......................55
7.2 FONT STRUCTURE ..............................................55
CHAPTER 8: BAR CODES .....................................................57
8.1 TYPES OF BAR CODES ..........................................57
8.2 DESIGNING WITH BAR CODES .....................................62
8.2.1 BAR CODE HUMAN READABLES .............................63
CHAPTER 9: SPECIAL EFFECTS ...............................................65
9.1 REVERSED PRINT (WHITE TEXT OVER BLACK) ......................65
APPENDIX A: QUICK REFERENCE COMMAND SUMMARY ..........................67
APPENDIX B: HARDWARE DIP SWITCHES .......................................77
Index .......................................................................79

48-466 Operators Manual
List of Tables
Status Light ..................................................................9
Serial Port Configuration .......................................................11
Print Speed ..................................................................19
Bitmapped Font Descriptions ...................................................25
Bar Code Symbologies ........................................................26
Character Starting Positions ....................................................27
Enquiry Responses ...........................................................33
Clock Field Parameters ........................................................41
UPC Zero Reduction Format ....................................................58
Code 128 Special Function Access ...............................................59
List of Figures
Front View ...................................................................6
Rear View ....................................................................6
Status Label ..................................................................8
Printer Feed Mechanism ........................................................9
Microcom Label ..............................................................16
Label Header Parameters of a 4" X 3" Label ........................................17
Lines .......................................................................29
Bar Code Rotations ...........................................................62
UPC-A Bar Code .............................................................63
Bar Code Human Readables ....................................................63

48-466 Operators Manual

48-466 Operators Manual
Introduction
The Model 48-466 is a Direct Thermal Print Mechanism with a high resolution (832 dots or 8
dots/mm), 4.09 inch wide print head. Through the use of dual processors, the printer has the
ability to handle a wide variety of labeling tasks.
The resident Label Design Software (LDS) is a powerful and easy-to-use package that allows
you to create personalized label formats. It can be driven from a PC, mini-computer, mainframe,
and most special purpose computers.
Among many other features, LDS supports downloadable graphics and fonts, multiple serial
numbering, and flexible character kerning. It offers many font sizes and all popular bar code
symbologies. Graphic images can be printed or stored in the printer's memory for future use.
Bitmapped Fonts, bar codes, and graphic images can be multiplied in size and printed in
0,90,180,270 degree rotations. Once the labels are designed, they can be stored in the printer
for high speed access.

48-466 Operators Manual2

48-466 Operators Manual 3
CHAPTER 1: FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS
1.1 SPECIAL FEATURES
!Direct thermal tag/ticket feed operation
!Dot history temperature control
!Resolution of 8 dots/mm (.0049" per dot) and a print width of 832 dots (4.09")
!Print speed up to 6.0 inches per second
!Prints on 7.5 mil tag stock with +/-10% variation.
!Software-controlled contrast adjustment
!Standard memory of 512Kbytes ROM and 512Kbytes RAM
!Internal date and time keeping
!Easy to load label path
!Detects label gap, black line, or blow-hole stock
!Internal statistical counter for inches and labels printed
!Downloadable bitmap fonts and graphics
!Field incrementing and decrementing
!Cooling fan rated at 80,000+ hours.
1.2 BAR CODES
!Code 39, Interleaved 2 of 5, CODABAR, Code 128 (Subset A,B,C), Code 93, Plessey,
Modified Plessey, UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-8, EAN-13, Postnet, MaxiCode, and PDF-417

Features and Specifications Chapter 1
48-466 Operators Manual4
1.3 FONTS
!8 Bitmapped Arial™ fonts.
!Converted HP LaserJet II™ or TrueType™ font compatibility
!Fonts can be printed with proportional or non-proportional spacing
!All bitmapped fonts expandable in height and width
!Printable in 0, 90, 180, and 270 degree rotations
1.4 PRINTING
!Batch and tag/tear mode advances label to the tear bar
!Label back-up prevents wasted media in tag/tear and peel modes
1.5 INTERFACE COMMUNICATIONS
!Serial: RS-232C, 25-pin female D-Sub connector (DCE) and 2Kbytes buffer
-Flow control: XON/XOFF, CTS
-Baud rate: 300 to 38400, user-selectable
-Parity: odd, even or none
-Data bits: 7 or 8
!Parallel: 36 pin female
1.6 PHYSICAL
!Rigid painted steel construction
!Height: TBD
!Width: TBD
!Depth: TBD
!Weight: TBD
1.7 ENVIRONMENT
!Temperature: 40"F to 104"F operating
!Humidity: 10-85% Non-Condensing

Chapter 1 Features and Specifications
48-466 Operators Manual 5
1.8 ELECTRICAL
!Voltage: 117/220 VAC nom.,50-60Hz
!Current: 3 AMPS maximum
1.9 APPROVALS
!CUL, CE, complies with FCC class A

Features and Specifications Chapter 1
48-466 Operators Manual6
48-466
Front View
Figure 1
48-466
Rear View
Figure 2

48-466 Operators Manual 7
CHAPTER 2: BASIC OPERATION
2.1 FRONT PANEL SWITCHES AND STATUS LIGHTS
The front panel button perform several different functions depending on the printer mode:
2.1.1 NORMAL MODE
Pressing and holding the button will cause the printer to “Line Feed”. Pressing and quickly
releasing the button will cause a "Label Print". If the button is pressed while a label is printing, the
printer will enter pause mode.
2.1.2 STATUS LABEL MODE
To print a status label, hold the button down while turning on the printer. Release the button and
a test pattern with statistical information will be printed (see figure 4). When a status label is
created, the software dip switches are temporarily set to defaults. The printer will return to the
old settings, if different, after power down or a soft reset.
The printed labels and total labels represent the number of labels printed to date. The printed
labels and printed inches fields can be reset by the user while the total labels and total inches
cannot. Printed inches and printed labels are reset using the ^D29 command (see section 5.3).
Other useful information on the power-up label is the unit serial number, power-on hours,
previous serial parameters (not the default parameters caused by executing creating a status
label), and the revision number of the Label Design Software (LDS).
The switch bank settings reflect the contents of the four software dip switches that configure the
operation of the printer. See section 5.3, specifically ^D21, ^D22, ^D23, ^D24, ^D25, and ^D26, for
more information on software dip switch settings.

Basic Operation Chapter 2
48-466 Operators Manual8
Printer Serial #: 0-123456
Printed Labels: 8432
Total Labels: 8498
Printed Inches: 25296
Total Inches: 25494
Power On Hours: 897
Contrast Base: 115
Hard Switch Bank 1: 10100000
Soft Switch Bank 1: 10000001
Soft Switch Bank 2: 01010001
Soft Switch Bank 3: 00000000
Soft Switch Bank 4: 00000000
Soft Switch Bank 5: 10001011
Soft Switch Bank 6: 00000000
Comm1 Parameters: 9600-N-8-1
Comm2 Parameters: INACTIVE
RAM: 262144
Optional ROM: NONE
Cutter Installed: NO
Second Proc. Rev: 1.23
RAM Checksum: Enabled
48-466 REV 2.00 000000-0200 08/05/97
Status Label
Figure 4
2.1.3 PAPER-OUT MODE
When a paper out condition occurs, the printer will continuously beep and the red error indicator
will light. The front panel switch serves to load and realign the new label stock. Pressing and
holding the button will cause the printer to “Line Feed”. Pressing and quickly releasing the button
will cause a "Label Print". If the printer is in “Out of Paper” mode, the button will print a duplicate
of the last label printed. The previous label can be repeated until proper registration occurs. To
return to the pre-paper out condition, tap the button while the duplicate label is being printed. The
red error light should go out and normal printing may resume.

Chapter 2 Basic Operation
48-466 Operators Manual 9
2.2 THE STATUS LIGHTS AND SOUNDS
The status lights have different functions depending upon the mode of the printer. The following
table explains the meanings.
Status Light
Color Sound Mode Meaning
Solid Green None All Power is on.
Solid Green Long Error All Memory operation unsuccessful.
Solid Green 3 Short
Beeps All Memory operation successful.
Solid Red Continuous Pulsed
Beep All Printer error:
Caused by a paper-out, or hardware failure.
If an unexplained condition persists, contact
your service representative.
Flashing Red Continuous Pulsed
Beep All Spike or low voltage on the AC line. The unit
will remain in this mode until the condition is
removed and the printer is powered off.
Solid Yellow N/A All Printer is On-Line.
Table 1
2.3 LOADING PAPER
(TBD)
Printer Feed Mechanism
Figure 5
2.4 CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS
(TBD)

Basic Operation Chapter 2
48-466 Operators Manual10

48-466 Operators Manual 11
CHAPTER 3: COMMUNICATIONS
The 48-466 can be interfaced to PC's, mini-computers, main frames, and special purpose
machines. It is capable of serial RS-232-C or Centronics® parallel communication. The
following sections explain the communication interfaces.
Out of the box, unless otherwise requested, the 48-466 communicates using either parallel or
serial RS-232-C at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit and no parity with both hardware and
software handshaking. This configuration may be changed as shown in Appendix B.
3.1 CABLE PINOUT
Table 1 shows the signals of the 25-pin RS-232 serial port and table 2 shows the parallel port
configuration.
If serial RS-232-C communication is selected and XON/XOFF hand shaking is used, the only
signals the 48-466 requires are the RXD, TXD, and GND signals. If hardware (CTS/RTS) hand
shaking is used a RTS signal is provided. XON/XOFF may be disabled through software dip
switch #1 (see chapter 5). The other signals are offered in the event the host computer requires
these signals.
Serial Port Configuration
25 TO 9 PIN 25 TO 25 PIN
State 466 Direction PC
HI 8 DCD ---->---- DCD 1
XX 3 TXD ---->---- RXD 2
XX 2 RXD ----<---- TXD 3
HI 6 DSR ----<---- DTR 4
LO 7 GND ---<->--- GND 5
HI 20 DTR ---->---- DSR 6
DC 4 CTS ----<---- RTS 7
XX 5 RTS ---->---- CTS 8
HI 18 +5V
DB-25 DE-9
DC = Do Not Care
XX = Indeterminate
State 466 Direction PC
HI 8 DCD ---->---- DCD 8
XX 3 TXD ---->---- RXD 3
XX 2 RXD ----<---- TXD 2
HI 6 DSR ----<---- DTR 20
LO 7 GND ---<->--- GND 7
HI 20 DTR ---->---- DSR 6
DC 4 CTS ----<---- RTS 4
XX 5 RTS ---->---- CTS 5
HI 18 +5V
DB-25 DB-25
DC = Do Not Care
XX = Indeterminate
Table 1

Communications Chapter 3
48-466 Operators Manual12
3.2 PRINTER CABLES
Warning: Connecting a serial port to a parallel port may result in damage to the printer and/or
computer.
The 48-466 uses standard communications port cables which may be purchased through
Microcom Corporation or a local computer supply company. You will not need a NULL-modem
cable because the printer is DCE equipment.
For parallel connection, use a standard 25 pin to 36 pin Centronics® printer cable, connected
from the desired parallel port of the host computer to the 36 pin connector on the 48-466 parallel
board.
For serial connection,
25 pin serial com port - Use a standard 25 pin female to 25 pin male serial cable.
9 pin serial com port - Use a 9 pin female to 25 pin male cable.
Note: Serial NULL modem cable adapters are not necessary since the printer is DCE
equipment.

48-466 Operators Manual 13
CHAPTER 4: DESIGNING LABELS USING LDS
Label Design Software (LDS) refers to the software resident in the printer used to decipher label
formats sent by the host computer. All fonts, character sets and bar codes symbologies are
resident in the printer.
A label format is produced by a series of 5 steps:
1: Control commands to define printer operation
2: A header to define label height, width, print speed, etc..
3: Field data to define placement of text, bar code, graphic or line
4: Actual text data to place in the above text or bar code fields
5: Control commands to initiate printing
4.1 CONTROL CHARACTERS
Throughout this manual there are references to control characters. In order to print them in this
manual, they have been written using standard characters and icons. Escape characters are
represented by <ESC> and a carriage return is represented by the 5symbol. It is important to
note that all printer functions, unless otherwise noted, must be followed with a carriage return5.
4.2 GETTING STARTED
There are many different machines that can send information to the 48-466. For example, main
frames, mini-computers, special purpose computers and PC's. However, the easiest way to
start is with a PC and a terminal emulation software program. This will method of connection will
allow two-way, serial communication with the printer.
4.2.1 PC CONNECTION (SERIAL)
Items required:
-A computer with at least one unused serial communications port. (COM1,COM2...)
-A serial interface cable. (See section 3.2 for cable information)
-A terminal emulation program.
Set the terminal communication parameters to 9600 baud, no parity, 8 data bits and 1 stop bit.
Unless modified by the user, this is the printers' communication configuration out of the box.
Depress ^C (ASCII or control code) on the PC keyboard. If the printer prints a label, proper PC
to printer communications have been confirmed. Depress ^E to verify printer to PC
communication. A text response should be returned from the printer.
If a terminal program is not available, it is possible to send files to the printer using the DOS
COPY command. To do this, create a text file containing the information to be sent (i.e. ^C or
^D35).
Note: Use an editor that does not add its own formatting characters.
Use the following DOS MODE command to set up the appropriate PC port. (COM1 may be any
available communications port on your PC.)
C:>MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1,P
Send the file to the printer using the following DOS command.
C:>COPY FILENAME COM1

Communications Chapter 3
48-466 Operators Manual14
4.2.2 PC CONNECTION (PARALLEL)
Items required:
- A computer with at least one unused parallel communications port. (LPT1, LPT2...)
- A parallel interface cable. (See section 3.2 for cable information)
Create a text file containing the information to be sent. (^D35is the print command.)
^D3
Note: Use an editor that does not add its own formatting characters.
Send the file to the printer using the following DOS command. (LPT1 may be any available
printer port on your PC.)
C:>COPY FILENAME LPT1
4.2.3 LEARNING LDS
Small control code functions (see section 5.1) or label formats files can be entered directly
through the keyboard. Large label files should be entered in an ASCII text editor and then up-
loaded to the printer using a terminal emulation program or the DOS copy command. (To use
the DOS copy command, first use the DOS mode instruction to configure the PC. For example,
MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1,P).
There are some special features offered by the 48-466 that will aid in label design. For example,
the auto-size command (^A2^D395) will provide most of the header format information needed to
define the different properties of label stock. The state of the machine is accessed through the
enquiry command (^D55or ^E). The statistical printer information is made available through the
^A0^D295command.
The following sections of this chapter are designed to give an overview of a label format, define
the label header, and list the different types of field information available. Chapter 5 explains the
special functions of the control codes. Once some understanding of these basic concepts are
achieved, use the quick reference guide in Appendix A for expedient label design.